There are some albums that come across the desk that can’t come soon enough after an initial single is serviced. That was definitely the story when The Anix’s “Below” made its’ way to my earholes late last year. A throbbing, thumping hum of beautiful Electro-fied 30 Seconds To Mars mixed with early MuteMath that is positively hypnotic, the best thing about “Below” is that it barely scratches the surface of what the rest of Revenge has in store for listeners.
“My Eyes” is stunning with blasts of bombast exploding from your speakers before Brandon Smith’s lush vocals arrive to deepen the listening experience while the aforementioned “Below” within the Revenge matrix still manages to stand out. “Quicksand” (Featuring INHUMAN) is a foreboding foray in a more synth-driven world with a sanguine stomp throughout, “Follow” is hopeful, sporadic, and loud with a huge guitar presence, and “Don’t Let the Outside Win” is a moving beat-laden number that brings to mind Julien-K or Duran Duran during their more experimental later years (Lookin’ at you, Medazzaland).
Speaking of Julien-K, Revenge has not one, but two collaborations featuring members of the ex-Orgy outfit. First up is the instrumental banger “Antilife” with J-K’s Amir Derakh going it alone alongside The Anix to bring listeners an empowering theme song before they head to the club then “Your Lies Are Like Fire” gives us the full power of Julien-K with front man Ryan Shuck joining the party that exquisitely balances the separate but still similar styles of each artist for one helluva masterclass in Electro Rawk excellence.
Other stand outs on Revenge include “Want U Like I Do” which is soaked with Pop sensibilities for an interesting ditty that’d sound just as comfortable on a Spotify “Hits” playlist as it would a Darkwave compilation album. “Unveil” really shines and hones in on an “Electro Grunge” aesthetic for a track that’s like Melon Collie…-era Smashing Pumpkins mashed with their more electronic journeys on Adore (The Lost Highway song “Eye” especially comes to mind) with “Crimson” providing an uplifting, airy synthetic journey later on.
Revenge arrives via FiXT on January 14th. Pre-order/pre-save your copy now by heading here or here and celebrate the release along with The Anix at a livestream event happening on Bandcamp on January 15th when you head here. For the latest on The Anix, follow the trail of socials when you click here, here, or here.