Anaboth - Ścierwo o bruk

ANABOTH - Ścierwo o bruk (UNDER THE SIGN OF GARAZEL CD 2017)

This is the second time I listen to Anaboth. Previously I had a doubtful pleasure to hear "Pomiędzy światami" - an album, which I disliked in its entirety and every detail. It just sucked totally, I even gave my copy away already, because I didn't think I would ever need it again. Meanwhile Anaboth recorded their second album "Ścierwo o bruk", which I got from Under the Sign of Garazel. Oh boy, I didn't expect that Anaboth nightmare will come back to me so soon... Yet, it did. Among the small stack of Garazel CDs there was Anaboth also, so whether I want it or not, I had to play it. 

And I have to say that "Ścierwo o bruk" sounds better than I imagined. I feared it's going to be another waste of time and ridiculous, unlistenable dose of black metal. Nope, not this time, "Ścierwo o bruk" sounds not bad at all actually! And I like this album! What the fuck is going on?? 

In case you have no idea what Anaboth is, this band plays some sort of raw and ugly black metal. They have quite simplistic style, slow old school tempo and riffs that are anything, but not your usual black metal riffs. This is the most intriguing thing about "Ścierwo o bruk", I think. The whole music is soaked in blackness, sulphur and tar, but at the same time it's as far from the usual black metal as it's possible. There's not even a pinch of ferocity or coldness of the black metal we all know. Instead, Anaboth lurks into some ancient bands and albums, from Venom or even Master's Hammer to even some heavy and thrash stuff, sometimes there's even a bit of Greek black metal style ("Gloria Lucyfer"). But it's quite difficult to describe or compare to another bands to have you a strict picture of Anaboth sound and style, this band seems to walk its own paths. You have to hear it to find out what it's like. 

Unlike the previous album, which I think had absolutely nothing to offer, "Ścierwo o bruk" surprises and brings a lot of interesting ideas and songs that are not only displaying harshness, savagery and aggression, but are also impressively diverse. And the songs make some sense, these riffs are really damn good, so are the vicious vocals of Moloch, whose vulgar and oppressive lyrics are awesome! I liked many parts of the album, from the more fast and bestial sound of the title track, through the blasphemous barbarity of "IHS", to the atmospheric style of "Przebudzenie Cthulhu". But it's "Noc groza potworna", which became my favourite piece. I love its disturbing and vicious aura. 

My overall impression of this album is very positive, I have to say, I thought it's going to be another pile of crap, meanwhile I got an interesting and ass-kicking stuff, which I enjoyed to listen to. The tracklist is great, I like the performance and the production... So, I give it 75/100, which is way more than I ever expected to give to Anaboth. Great surprise then and recommended release! 

Standout tracks: "Ścierwo o bruk", "IHS", "Noc groza potworna" 

Final rate: 75/100