Style: Thrash metal, progressive metal (mixed vocals; primarily harsh)
Recommended for fans of: Coroner, Vektor, Annihilator
Review by: Francesco
Country: USA
Release date: 28 November 2024
Anarchÿ is a thrash duo from St. Louis, Missouri, releasing their third full-length in as many years, Xenötech and the Cosmic Anarchÿ. This sci-fi concept album details the efforts of an ambassador of humanity to a technologically-advanced extraterrestrial race as they try and unify all existence. Neat. Their last works have been exceptional examples of a rather eclectic style of thrash metal, and Xenötech doesn’t stray too far from the mould they’ve created but it does incorporate certain elements that this reviewer might call… experimental. They don’t always land. I would say that Xenötech and the Cosmic Anarchÿ starts off strong then begins to stumble off a ledge somewhere in the middle and catches its footing for the second half – but for the most part, the album is another release that the two guys can pat themselves on the back for.
Overall, the album is chock-full of pretty well balls-to-the-wall thrash terrorizers: the classic Anarchÿ compositional style we’ve come to love over the last few releases has its foundation firmly cemented on this album as well. They’ve developed a recognizable style that often features half-time melodic measures that introduce leitmotifs, then lead into a more traditional double-time section with highly complicated riffing that leads back into the previously introduced motifs. I’m a sucker for call-and-answer musical themes, so anytime Anarchÿ injects a melody line that comes back later, oftentimes more furious, it never fails to bring me great joy. Still, as I stated earlier, there are some moments of questionable merit on this release.
At certain points in the middle of Xenötech, Anarchÿ decide to experiment with particular elements that tend to interrupt the flow a little bit (or a lot bit) and leave me scratching my head or reaching for the fast-forward button. I know it’s progressive metal, but certainly not every idea is a good one, and congruence is important, lest it all devolve into, well… anarchy. On “Vivisection / Salvation” a soft female vocal accompanies the moody acoustic guitar intro, then is brought back at the end in kind of a half-time, marching polka feel – a jarring inclusion that really took me out of the track. There is a passage in “A.M.F.” that introduces a very-aggressively-MIDI string quartet playing in mutating time signatures. I wonder if the sound was a deliberate choice, considering the plethora of available VSTs (software instrument plugins) that might be able to produce a better, more realistic reproduction of the strings. And in “Extraterrestrial Collaboration” they inject a drum and bass-style breakbeat to transition into the latter-half of the track, and then end the track with a longer breakbeat section. It’s all very subversive, but I don’t know if I’d call it progressive.
Nevertheless, there are plenty of redeeming qualities on this album, and some classic Anarchÿ moments that really stand out. I particularly enjoyed the second half of “The Gallery of Quantum Carrion”; the way they transition out of the solo into three separate and distinct movements including an acoustic guitar break and a harmonized twin-guitar lead that fades into a beautiful, Romantic piano piece demonstrates perfectly well the duo’s meticulously-honed technical ability and compositional skill. Another standout moment for me was the neoclassical-inspired “Entangled / Enlightened” that samples from Chopin’s “Marche Funèbre” and some others. And I feel I’d be remiss without mentioning the 12-minute album closer “I Am the Universe,” which contains some of the most melodic riffing on the whole release; possibly the catchiest refrains; a very moody, Ravi Shankar-y, pensive middle-section with clean female vocals, and more Chopin worship.
Xenötech and the Cosmic Anarchÿ is more of what I’ve come to love from Anarchÿ, with some minor pitfalls that did somewhat curb my enjoyment of the release, but that didn’t detract too much from the overall experience. I probably wouldn’t go back-to-front on this one again, but there are certainly moments I’m eager to revisit, riffs I’d love to learn, and likely some “A-ha!” musical references that I feel I’m on the verge of divining. Another worthwhile listen from the St. Louis duo. One small request for the team: I’d love to see Bouzikov make a return for the next cover art.
Recommended tracks: Nelson’s Cosmos of Thought, Entangled / Enlightened, The Gallery of Quantum Carrion
You may also like: VENUS, Quasarborn, Vexovoid
Final verdict: 8/10
Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | Instagram | Metal-Archives page
Label: Independent
Anarchÿ is:
– Fionn McAuliffe (vocals, bass, breakbeats)
– Reese Tiller (guitars, bass, keyboards, sitar)
0 Comments