Reido - Anātman

REIDO - Anātman (AESTHETIC DEATH Productions - CD 2019)

Funeral doom metal band from Belarus? “Ohh, I don't wanna hear it, I’m not interested!” - that was my first reaction after receiving Reido's third album "Anātman", released through Aesthetic Death Records a month ago. It's very surprising then to hear that this band actually came up with very solid and enjoyable album - at least as enjoyable as funeral doom (death) can be, as this style of extreme metal can be very tiring sometimes. You know, hearing that utterly sorrowful, deadly slow riffage all the time, with no trace of more powerful and energetic parts could easily put to sleep or bore to death. And "Anātman" is an hour long album, so that risk is huge. And well, I am happy to say that it is much, much better than I imagined! Sure, this album is a bit too long for me, I wouldn't mind if it was 15 minutes shorter. But at the same time I need to say that Reido not only managed to interest me, but also composed an album in very intelligent way - not only focusing on constant slow paced, monotonous riffage and rhythm, but diversified the music with some calmer, tranquiliting moments, which is why I listened to it with interest from start to finish, letting its atmosphere devour me completely. 

Short, very dark and eerie “Deathwave” comes first and then “The Serpent's Mission” brings Reido’s full arsenal of monstrous, insanely vicious and slow-paced monumental doom / death metal. From the very start, they are set to create the mournful, melancholic atmosphere, dark and joyless. As I mentioned, Reido doesn’t focus just on the gargantuan, massive riffage, but often – like in “Dirt Fills My Mouth” - mix it up with cleaner guitars, eerie sounding keyboard soundscapes or growls with whispered voices... Which is obviously nothing new, of course it’s not, but the songwriting on "Anātman" is great, it’s filled with very good ideas, with impressive arrangements, very good performance and spotless production (yes, the sound is fantastic, very heavy and powerful), so there’s absolutely nothing I could moan about. It’s solid and high-quality doom / death metal, which fans should appreciate. Personally, I need to be in mood for such type of music, It's not my everyday stuff, but when I want to hear something very gloomy and mournful, then why not. I will definitely keep Reido in my mind for such occasions. Very good, surprising album and probably even the best Belarusian band, along Ljosazabojstwa, I ever heard. 

Standout track: “Dirt Fills My Mouth” 

Verdict: 75/100