I was going to start this review off by throwing out a bunch of comparisons then stating “NO! No comparisons needed because they’re indescribable!” but I felt like that did a disservice to Black Moth and the integrity of the hunk of amazing that is coming at your earholes soon in the form of Anatomical Venus. So I went with this opening instead. There’s a few comparisons within. Regardless, Anatomical Venus is the bee’s knees. And then some. And then some more.
But I digress.
“Istra” is like hellfire raining down from above, beginning with a singular spacey riff which expands into the two-pronged attack of Jim Swainston and Federica Gialanze thus the raining truly begins. The reigning, however, really happens when Harriet Hyde enters the picture with an inhuman voice (“Oh Aphroditeeeeeee!!!!”) that’s so good you’ll be constantly pinching yourself because it’s so unbelievable. From that moment, the track ascends while switching between pretty prose and a pummeling pounder interspersed with bouts of angelic mysticism before the riffs eventually come back and collide to create more heavenly goodness to appease the rawk gods.
And this is just the first track, people!
“Moonbow” brims with shreddy goodness until opening into this grand chorus that will give you the warm and fuzzies in all the right places (Meaning yer ears, ya pervs) with a little nostalgia thrown to mid-90’s Alice In Chains with the use of the vocal harmonies in spots.
“Sisters of the Stone” starts one way then goes another like the best kinds of music usually does. In this case, it starts as this Doom-laden sludgefest before becoming a heavy metal riff-rager and definitely a headbanger’s delight. “Buried Hoards”, on the other hand, is built around a steady humming riff and Dave Vachon’s sturdy bass drone that’d make Badmotorfinger-era Soundagarden a little jealous.
“Severed Grace” continues the worship of the riff with Hyde’s unearthly invitation of “Come in/ Come in/Come in” at its’ epicenter before an unholy rawker of a conclusion that will haunt your soul. Is there such a thing as “Happy Doom”? Well, there is now and “Screen Queen” is the definitive example as Hyde spews lines like “I’ll suck you in/I’ll suck you in” before borrowing a little riff action from Motley Crue’s “Hammered” to conclude the rager.
“Tourmaline” is a subdued slow burn with Hyde’s sultry delivery luring you into a safe space before pulling the rug from underneath to reveal a massive wall of sound that owns at every turn. Meanwhile, “A Thousand Arrows” is like a lost Sabbath classic through and through before “Pig Man” crushes all. Fueled by Dom McCready’s drumming and an even bigger wall of sound with Hyde adopting a sinister snarl, the track will inevitably leave you wanting more which is the perfect kind of closer especially as it amps up before the final aural onslaught.
Anatomical Venus shreds its’ way into your ears on March 2nd via Candlelight/Spinefarm. You can get your physical media on by clicking here or digital by clicking here or here. For more on Black Moth, head on over here.