Power/Thrash Metal: Anubis - Dark Paradise (2024)

80 / 100

Heavy, dark, and hook-driven, it’s a solid nine-track offering for those who prefer their power metal with grit over cheese.

Anubis is a relatively young band from the USA whose genre strikes great potential to my ears—and it became my first power metal experiment on Apple Music. Although only about seven years old, they’ve already released a decent number of tracks, with frequent lineup changes except for Devin Reiche, who finally remains as the lead vocalist.

There was already a sense of dread when I saw the band’s logo on this dark album cover—it made me worry about a heavy death metal influence inside. And yes, it is present in "Devour," which brings in a touch of melodic death metal, with shortened runtime and growl vocals by David Ainsworth (Bloodfeast Ritual, Our Dying World), replacing previous liner, John Sawicki (Viminal). In comparison, it would’ve been better if they had kept the older version, as David’s voice feels overly compressed. Even so, this fifth track is still noteworthy, especially because it’s placed at the center of the album and offers the most contrasting melody among the rest. "Strife" also features former drummer Paul Gehlhar on growl vocals, adding more aggression, but I prefer to skip it.

This debut album reflects the band’s increasingly wild musical development, consistent with blast beats that push the thrash metal elements to the forefront. Meanwhile, the power metal aspect shines through soaring vocals and sing-along parts—particularly in "Heartless," which reminds me of Iced Earth. The cover track, "Symbolic" by the legendary Death, is a logical choice given the inherently thrashy vocal style. Still, it doesn’t quite satisfy my curiosity about what an extreme metal song would sound like fully reimagined with clean vocals. Oh, and don’t forget the staple weapon of European power metal: the keyboard, which appears in the closing track "Thy Frozen Throne," bringing strong power metal color and ensuring that Anubis doesn't stray far from their power/thrash identity.

Well, Anubis does not fail in crafting this album. The track order doesn’t really matter, although I’d give a strong warning to place "Fallen" upfront, since it begins with a solo piano, unlike "Venom and the Viper’s Kiss," which immediately blasts the listener’s head off—much like the placement of "Split the Earth in Two" in the Hurricane of Hate EP as the opening hook.

Therefore, it’s hard to pick a clear favorite among the nine tracks on this album. From beginning to end, it sounds solid, though perhaps it’s not the right album for those looking for a slice of cheese—because there is no cheese here, only a chalice of wine drawn from the darkest heaven. Even I was confused making that judgment, as some previously uninteresting songs have begun to stand out more clearly.

[The review also posted on Metal Archives.]