Anaal Nathrakh - In the Constellation of the Black Widow (2009)

There are very few albums as relentless and extreme, yet as beautiful and masterful as this. This is possibly some of the most inaccessible metal i've heard, and that's a good thing. This is a true test to how extreme your tastes get. This is a very strange combination of black metal and grindcore, with the former being more prominent than the latter, hence AN being more commonly referred to as a black metal band than a grind one. [1]

The album begins with the sound of some poor soul sounding like he's slowly going insane, then in kicks this slow paced riff and then all hell breaks loose! Dave "V.I.T.R.I.O.L." Hunt lets out an ear splitting black metal shriek that puts most of the Norwegians to shame. Dave Hunt is possibly the most diverse vocalist in extreme metal, effortlessly switching between throat shredding shrieks, guttural growls and melodic clean singing, and he's brilliant at each style. I'd talk about his lyrics, but I have no fucking idea what he's saying, and they've never published their lyrics, but one can assume from the song titles they deal with the typical topics of Satan, torture, misanthropy and all that. [1]

From the first track, which entitles the album, the carnage is merciless. Subtly you see yourself immersed in a storm of melodic but fast and punishing riffs, which does not fall short in terms of quality and precision, intense and constant blast beats, various sound effects and harsh guttural vocals, so harsh, loud and overlapping that seem to have been recorded during the response to a joint psychiatric seizure of a group of people. V.I.T.R.I.O.L., the man behind the vocals, also impresses by his ability to drive magnificent clean vocals during the chorus of some of the tracks. He sounds a bit like Killswitch Engage at some moments, but overall his vocals are more on the Christian Alvestam side of the force that the death/metalcore side. [2]

Anyway, In The Constellation Of The Black Widow is all about riffs, vocals and chaos, absolute chaos. It accomplishes its mission to present a perfect blend of genres with measured doses of black metal and grindcore, not disappointing anyone who might enjoy one or both genres. The lyrics are often incomprehensible, except for the choruses and “slow tracks”, but it makes little difference when you have an instrumental part so prevalent. [2]

Tracks

1. In the Constellation of the Black Widow
2. I Am the Wrath of Gods and the Desolation of the Earth
3. More of Fire Than Blood
4. The Unbearable Filth of the Soul
5. Terror in the Mind of God
6. So Be It
7. The Lucifer Effect
8. Oil Upon the Sores of Lepers
9. Satanarchrist
10. Blood Eagles Carved on the Backs of Innocents

If you like it, please buy it on their official website/merchandise.
Anaal Nathrakh - In the Constellation of the Black Widow (2009)

Source: Metallum [1] [2]