Over the years the Danish (?) band Anubis Gate kept crossing my radar, but somehow I never got around to buying their stuff. Well, that has finally been fixed as this self titled album has been making regular rounds in my CD player the last couple of days. And if this makes anything clear, then it is that it is a pity I did not discover them earlier on….
Yes, the band have proved me wrong big time with this wonderful album. The style is a mixture of progressive metal, power metal and melodic metal. So maybe we should just say metal? That is a pretty broad description, so I will try to be a bit more precise. The singing is very melodic, often utilizing harmony vocals to enrich the already catchy melodies. The guitar playing is influenced by progressive metal for sure. Full of intricate riffs, blistering solos and Zakk Wylde´s trademark overtones. Cool stuff. The rhythm section is more close to power metal. Drums are often galloping away on double kick and are less working to support the riffs, but focus on maintaining the groove. And groove they do. The band also utilize keyboards, but mainly in a supporting role.
All in all a very interesting album that flows from beginning to end. Impressive singing and guitar arrangements. They deserve a bigger audience, and damned if I not try to help them with that! So expect older releases featured here somewhere down the line…
