Broken Anatomy - Nightmares From An Unremembered Age
We’ve featured Broken Anatomy a few times in the past and have always been impressed by Samantha and her ability to take a genre, make it her own, and push the boundaries of what we expect to hear. She dropped us a line letting us know about the latest offering from Broken Anatomy, Nightmares From An Unremembered Age, to see what we thought, so I jumped at the chance to check things out for myself to see what was going on with this latest 3 track Death and Doom metal offering!
As With More Intensity Than The Sun sets things in motion you’re immediately transported to the dark and mysterious world of Broken Anatomy, a deep rumbling line leading the way as the track builds around you. Continuing to build and build, the track creates an immediate sense of anticipation, not letting you in on what is to follow but letting you know one thing for sure – this is going to be a heavy assed ride once it all kicks in. Synth effects work around the speakers throughout the build-up, the anticipation growing throughout until finally the drums signal the start of the bass heavy, doom orientated track. Heavy, slow and powerful, this is a track which doesn’t mess about with harmonies and layered vocals, instead offering up an in your face, full on mix of sheer distorted power. Dark throughout, the vocals add a sense of foreboding into the mix, allowing the backing music to be fully accentuated and continuing to keep you listening, just to see what direction the track is going to take next. Despite all of this, the track isn’t over the top or overdone, it’s simply a showcase of the style on offer and a track which sets the record up nicely. What really does it for me is that the track isn’t just a track, it’s a two part odyssey , almost formed as a progressive style track, working through movements and pushing the death and doom metal style to its fullest extent.
Nightmares From An Unremembered Age follows on the throws us straight into an almighty mix of bass heavy rhythms and roaring, guttural vocal lines. Clinging on to that darkened edge once again, the track seems to once again hit home with the powerful bass undertones and sense of all out distortion. Don’t be deceived into thinking this is going to be speed metal or fast paced, as what’s on offer here is slow, to the point and well put together. The slowed down speed of the track serves to full push the power home, leaving you a quivering heap on the floor with nowhere to go other than to the cupboard to hide. It’s also notable that Samantha has taken death metal, combined it with doom metal and added in her views on sludge to craft a sound which hovers in the middle of everything, resulting in something unique, out there, and something which is about making you think about what you’re hearing, rather than just something which is heavy.
Closing with The Destruction Of Something Beautiful the record finishes on another heavy note (no surprise there though), opening with an altogether more melodic sound before once again kicking into the all out power. Using the drums to create the storyline for the track, the vocals, guitars and bass all seem to work around them, forging a sound which is heavy but accessible, syncopated yet easy to listen to, complex yet straight forward – it’s a tricky one to put into words! The final moments here are amongst my personal favourites from all of the Broken Anatomy stuff I’ve heard, almost like this is the new beginning for Samantha, like she’s found where the music needs to be and is pushing forwards with it – and if the follow up to this is based on this, then we need to be keeping a serious eye on things!
Samantha never ceases to amaze me with her music, everytime there’s something new to check out, a new hook to things or a new approach which she’s thrown into see if it works. This record here is no exception, and as I said a moment ago, marks one of my favourite releases from her. I always say it so there’s no real need, but I’ll look forward to seeing what comes next here, I think it could be damned interesting!
To find out more about Broken Anatomy, check out the Facebook page HERE.
Words: Dave Nicholls
As With More Intensity Than The Sun sets things in motion you’re immediately transported to the dark and mysterious world of Broken Anatomy, a deep rumbling line leading the way as the track builds around you. Continuing to build and build, the track creates an immediate sense of anticipation, not letting you in on what is to follow but letting you know one thing for sure – this is going to be a heavy assed ride once it all kicks in. Synth effects work around the speakers throughout the build-up, the anticipation growing throughout until finally the drums signal the start of the bass heavy, doom orientated track. Heavy, slow and powerful, this is a track which doesn’t mess about with harmonies and layered vocals, instead offering up an in your face, full on mix of sheer distorted power. Dark throughout, the vocals add a sense of foreboding into the mix, allowing the backing music to be fully accentuated and continuing to keep you listening, just to see what direction the track is going to take next. Despite all of this, the track isn’t over the top or overdone, it’s simply a showcase of the style on offer and a track which sets the record up nicely. What really does it for me is that the track isn’t just a track, it’s a two part odyssey , almost formed as a progressive style track, working through movements and pushing the death and doom metal style to its fullest extent.
Nightmares From An Unremembered Age follows on the throws us straight into an almighty mix of bass heavy rhythms and roaring, guttural vocal lines. Clinging on to that darkened edge once again, the track seems to once again hit home with the powerful bass undertones and sense of all out distortion. Don’t be deceived into thinking this is going to be speed metal or fast paced, as what’s on offer here is slow, to the point and well put together. The slowed down speed of the track serves to full push the power home, leaving you a quivering heap on the floor with nowhere to go other than to the cupboard to hide. It’s also notable that Samantha has taken death metal, combined it with doom metal and added in her views on sludge to craft a sound which hovers in the middle of everything, resulting in something unique, out there, and something which is about making you think about what you’re hearing, rather than just something which is heavy.
Closing with The Destruction Of Something Beautiful the record finishes on another heavy note (no surprise there though), opening with an altogether more melodic sound before once again kicking into the all out power. Using the drums to create the storyline for the track, the vocals, guitars and bass all seem to work around them, forging a sound which is heavy but accessible, syncopated yet easy to listen to, complex yet straight forward – it’s a tricky one to put into words! The final moments here are amongst my personal favourites from all of the Broken Anatomy stuff I’ve heard, almost like this is the new beginning for Samantha, like she’s found where the music needs to be and is pushing forwards with it – and if the follow up to this is based on this, then we need to be keeping a serious eye on things!
Samantha never ceases to amaze me with her music, everytime there’s something new to check out, a new hook to things or a new approach which she’s thrown into see if it works. This record here is no exception, and as I said a moment ago, marks one of my favourite releases from her. I always say it so there’s no real need, but I’ll look forward to seeing what comes next here, I think it could be damned interesting!
To find out more about Broken Anatomy, check out the Facebook page HERE.
Words: Dave Nicholls
Broken Anatomy - The Obsession
We’ve featured Broken Anatomy before a couple of times, as well as other side projects which Samantha is part of, so when she dropped me a line with her latest creation, The Obsession, I was interested to see how things were going. Firmly rooted in doom style metal (or as stated on the FB page, Death Doom if you ‘wanna be a dick and get specific’), there’s always one thing for sure when it comes to Samantha and her projects – it’s going to be one heavy assed ride through music!
From the opening moments of Insomnia my initial thoughts were confirmed, a painful lead note getting things moving before a dark and ominous line comes in to lead the way forwards. Despite the death/doom undertones of the bands genre, there’s a surprising amount of melody running through the initial moments of this track, leading you by the hand towards the full force which you can sense is on the horizon, hinting at what is to follow without giving too much away. Soon picking up the pace and revealing the true face of the track, the rolling double bass signifies the beginning of our heavy journey, launching us into a melee of rolling drums, hammering guitar lines and a doomy dark feeling. Just as the track seems to be reaching a crescendo, it all comes to an end, almost cutting the power short and leaving you gasping for one more taste of the power that’s on offer here, it’s a sudden end yet somehow, seems to lead on to the following track, Fool.
Once again opening on a toned down front, this track signifies the proper beginning of the album, a deep and guttural grunt hinting at the level of vocal line to follow – this is where heavy begins. Slow and powerful throughout, the low and guttural roars from the vocals add an almost scary quality to the track, showing that the opening moments were as soft as this is going to get, we’re in doom territory and there’s no escaping. Continuing the slow and measured approach into Bow Before The Monolith there’s no sign of the slow and heavy mix easing off, this time measuring the guitar lines out to keep you guessing as to what’s going to follow, once again suggesting you follow the distorted mix to see what else is to come and how the track is going to progress – and you won’t be disappointed. Soon picking up the pace and launching into another bass rolling melee of guitar and drum work, the slow guitar line seems to contrast against the faster backing rhythms resulting in a track which will leave you unsure as to whether to start a pit or simply bang your head. Alternating between the two styles, this track almost seems like a showcase of the ability of Samantha when recording, showing that it’s possible to combine different styles into one mix resulting in a sound which is going to intrigue and fascinate people from the off.
Title track The Obsession comes up next and initially, seems to mark a slight change in the progression of the album. Personally, I didn’t think that the opening moments of this track suggested a doom metal track, but this was all changed once the main riff and beat kicks in to keep things moving. Slowing down from a melodic and upbeat opening into a slower and more tempered approach, soon enough we’re greeted with the signature stylings of Broken Anatomy, showing that regardless of how the track opens, the result is always going to move back towards the style we’ve come to expect. The addition of synth effects to this track has somewhat of a profound effect on things, somehow turning a heavy track into something more interesting and open, the sort of thing which could easily accompany a movie of some sort – it’s a very clever track and stands out as a high point to me. Under Your Black Wing, Swarm and Crushed Beneath The Weight all follow on in the appropriate style, each one presenting a unique take on doom metal and showing that it’s not a genre to underestimate, each one pushing the boundaries of what should be possible but showing that when done well, the result can be mind blowing.
Another high point on the album is Chainsaw And A Bottle Of Whiskey (Friendly Killing Spree) which follows on, coming in at a mammoth 7 minutes 57 and showing that sometimes, slowing things down and accentuating things can have more of an impact than simply thrashing through a track at full tilt. Bass heavy and dark from the off, this is a track which stands out to me as the epitome of the Broken Anatomy sound, a track which doesn’t follow convention, almost follow free form jazz techniques to offer up a challenging track designed to keep you thinking rather than simply listening. Achieving a sound which stands amongst the heaviest of the tracks on the album, this is one to make sure you check out, and one which is going to really separate the fans from the wannabes. Descending suddenly sounds upbeat in comparison to the previous track, opening with a funky riff which is going to get fans moving from the off. Throwing down with a rolling double bass backing track, the heavy undertones of this track suggest that this is going to be one for the live scene, one which is going to really get the fans going and surely, the sort of track which is a joy to play live.
Penultimate track The Endless Fury Of Chaos leads us gradually to the end, almost building up to the final moments of the track and leading naturally on to the final track, The Quiet Room. The quieter building moments of both of these tracks act as a means to build up to the final ending of the album, The Endless Fury almost coming as a cliff hanger and not revealing too much about what's to follow, and then the final track building through cymbal noises to get things in motion. The final moments on the album seem to almost be a calming time to close things, almost reflecting the name of The Quiet Room and moving away from the aggressive approach to a place where there's simply cymbals, drums and a one off, hard hitting guitar line midway through. At 16 minutes long, this is a mammoth track, and reflecting on it, my personal take on it is that it's a cool down, a moment where you can make up your own mind about what's going on and reflect on everything you heard throughout the album.
Personally, I find the music which Samantha comes up with mind blowing as it challenges you to try to understand the music without giving you the answer. There’s always going to be some who say it’s just heavy or just too far, but I find it interesting, thought provoking and the sort of thing we all need to listen to now and then to allow our minds to reset. This album suggests that there’s going to be a lot more to come from Broken Anatomy, almost finishing on a strange front so that moving forwards, there's going to be more of a build up to come. There are bound to be divisions in the people that listen to it, with people saying that it's too out there for them or moments which they don't understand, but I like the fact that it's unconventional and interesting as it allows you to think, allows you to make up your own mind, and doesn't dictate what you have to feel about things!
To find out more about Broken Anatomy, check out their Facebook page HERE.
Grab yourself a copy of the album HERE.
Words: Dave Nicholls
From the opening moments of Insomnia my initial thoughts were confirmed, a painful lead note getting things moving before a dark and ominous line comes in to lead the way forwards. Despite the death/doom undertones of the bands genre, there’s a surprising amount of melody running through the initial moments of this track, leading you by the hand towards the full force which you can sense is on the horizon, hinting at what is to follow without giving too much away. Soon picking up the pace and revealing the true face of the track, the rolling double bass signifies the beginning of our heavy journey, launching us into a melee of rolling drums, hammering guitar lines and a doomy dark feeling. Just as the track seems to be reaching a crescendo, it all comes to an end, almost cutting the power short and leaving you gasping for one more taste of the power that’s on offer here, it’s a sudden end yet somehow, seems to lead on to the following track, Fool.
Once again opening on a toned down front, this track signifies the proper beginning of the album, a deep and guttural grunt hinting at the level of vocal line to follow – this is where heavy begins. Slow and powerful throughout, the low and guttural roars from the vocals add an almost scary quality to the track, showing that the opening moments were as soft as this is going to get, we’re in doom territory and there’s no escaping. Continuing the slow and measured approach into Bow Before The Monolith there’s no sign of the slow and heavy mix easing off, this time measuring the guitar lines out to keep you guessing as to what’s going to follow, once again suggesting you follow the distorted mix to see what else is to come and how the track is going to progress – and you won’t be disappointed. Soon picking up the pace and launching into another bass rolling melee of guitar and drum work, the slow guitar line seems to contrast against the faster backing rhythms resulting in a track which will leave you unsure as to whether to start a pit or simply bang your head. Alternating between the two styles, this track almost seems like a showcase of the ability of Samantha when recording, showing that it’s possible to combine different styles into one mix resulting in a sound which is going to intrigue and fascinate people from the off.
Title track The Obsession comes up next and initially, seems to mark a slight change in the progression of the album. Personally, I didn’t think that the opening moments of this track suggested a doom metal track, but this was all changed once the main riff and beat kicks in to keep things moving. Slowing down from a melodic and upbeat opening into a slower and more tempered approach, soon enough we’re greeted with the signature stylings of Broken Anatomy, showing that regardless of how the track opens, the result is always going to move back towards the style we’ve come to expect. The addition of synth effects to this track has somewhat of a profound effect on things, somehow turning a heavy track into something more interesting and open, the sort of thing which could easily accompany a movie of some sort – it’s a very clever track and stands out as a high point to me. Under Your Black Wing, Swarm and Crushed Beneath The Weight all follow on in the appropriate style, each one presenting a unique take on doom metal and showing that it’s not a genre to underestimate, each one pushing the boundaries of what should be possible but showing that when done well, the result can be mind blowing.
Another high point on the album is Chainsaw And A Bottle Of Whiskey (Friendly Killing Spree) which follows on, coming in at a mammoth 7 minutes 57 and showing that sometimes, slowing things down and accentuating things can have more of an impact than simply thrashing through a track at full tilt. Bass heavy and dark from the off, this is a track which stands out to me as the epitome of the Broken Anatomy sound, a track which doesn’t follow convention, almost follow free form jazz techniques to offer up a challenging track designed to keep you thinking rather than simply listening. Achieving a sound which stands amongst the heaviest of the tracks on the album, this is one to make sure you check out, and one which is going to really separate the fans from the wannabes. Descending suddenly sounds upbeat in comparison to the previous track, opening with a funky riff which is going to get fans moving from the off. Throwing down with a rolling double bass backing track, the heavy undertones of this track suggest that this is going to be one for the live scene, one which is going to really get the fans going and surely, the sort of track which is a joy to play live.
Penultimate track The Endless Fury Of Chaos leads us gradually to the end, almost building up to the final moments of the track and leading naturally on to the final track, The Quiet Room. The quieter building moments of both of these tracks act as a means to build up to the final ending of the album, The Endless Fury almost coming as a cliff hanger and not revealing too much about what's to follow, and then the final track building through cymbal noises to get things in motion. The final moments on the album seem to almost be a calming time to close things, almost reflecting the name of The Quiet Room and moving away from the aggressive approach to a place where there's simply cymbals, drums and a one off, hard hitting guitar line midway through. At 16 minutes long, this is a mammoth track, and reflecting on it, my personal take on it is that it's a cool down, a moment where you can make up your own mind about what's going on and reflect on everything you heard throughout the album.
Personally, I find the music which Samantha comes up with mind blowing as it challenges you to try to understand the music without giving you the answer. There’s always going to be some who say it’s just heavy or just too far, but I find it interesting, thought provoking and the sort of thing we all need to listen to now and then to allow our minds to reset. This album suggests that there’s going to be a lot more to come from Broken Anatomy, almost finishing on a strange front so that moving forwards, there's going to be more of a build up to come. There are bound to be divisions in the people that listen to it, with people saying that it's too out there for them or moments which they don't understand, but I like the fact that it's unconventional and interesting as it allows you to think, allows you to make up your own mind, and doesn't dictate what you have to feel about things!
To find out more about Broken Anatomy, check out their Facebook page HERE.
Grab yourself a copy of the album HERE.
Words: Dave Nicholls
Broken Anatomy - NEW!
Having already featured Broken Anatomy, Samantha recently dropped us a line to let us know about the new Freedom Within EP, a collection of 5 tracks which, in her words, took her a little by surprise as they came about so quickly. Drawing on influences from the likes of EyeHateGod, Down and My Dying Bride amongst others, this promises to be 5 tracks of crushingly heavy doom – perfect for a dreary day like today!
Sophia gets things going, opening with a hauntingly echoey vocal and leading us into the beginning of the EP fully, already creating a sense of darkness and a feeling that whatever follows is not going to follow the same soft approach as this opening. The Birth Of The Demiurge follows on and finally shows the true colours of the EP, the dark and malevolent theme continuing as the gradual fading in of instrumentation continues, continuing to build into the EP and creating that sense of dread which can make an album sound even darker than it is. It’s when The Genesis of Sentinence kicks in that some form of structure and form fully takes its place, taking the dark elements of the tracks so far and combining them into another example of music crafted for a horror movie. The dark and sludgy backing guitar combines with screeching guitar lines at times and you’re left with something which is almost painful, yet intriguing at the same time.
Gnosis seems to add in a moment of melody to the destructive force shown so far, opening with a piano line and building into another dark melee of guitars and synth. The feeling flowing out of this track is one of haunting darkness once again, the track being more conventional in form yet still holding as much detachment and darkness as the earlier moments. This is another track which as it plays you, allows you to form your own accompanying images in your mind, it generates all sorts of thoughts and simply allows you to immerse yourself in the ambient doom which surrounds you. Closing with The Absolution Of The Self Imposed Sin, there’s one last chance to try and grasp an understanding of what’s going on here whilst the dark and ominous undertones continue to play out. Once again combining a darkened background with a lifting lead line initially, this is the sort of track which simply grabs your attention with the dark and sludgy backing track and allows you to take on board everything going on, a suitable end to an intriguing EP for sure.
What people need to realise when they go into this EP is that it’s not crafted of tracks which follow convention, it’s almost like a sludgy/doom metal version of free-form jazz if that makes sense. That said, there’s something here which will keep you listening and keep you wondering what’s going to come next. Whether it’s purely to see where things are going or to try and understand it more I don’t know, but what I do know is that this is perfect music to accompany the darkest of thoughts or a horror movie – it’s got that ominous feeling without being overbearing. Personally, I love that Broken Anatomy have got the guts to put a collection of tracks like this into an EP to allow the listener to make up their own mind, and I think it is going to be a good sign of what is to follow.
See below to find out what we thought last time we checked in on these guys!
Sophia gets things going, opening with a hauntingly echoey vocal and leading us into the beginning of the EP fully, already creating a sense of darkness and a feeling that whatever follows is not going to follow the same soft approach as this opening. The Birth Of The Demiurge follows on and finally shows the true colours of the EP, the dark and malevolent theme continuing as the gradual fading in of instrumentation continues, continuing to build into the EP and creating that sense of dread which can make an album sound even darker than it is. It’s when The Genesis of Sentinence kicks in that some form of structure and form fully takes its place, taking the dark elements of the tracks so far and combining them into another example of music crafted for a horror movie. The dark and sludgy backing guitar combines with screeching guitar lines at times and you’re left with something which is almost painful, yet intriguing at the same time.
Gnosis seems to add in a moment of melody to the destructive force shown so far, opening with a piano line and building into another dark melee of guitars and synth. The feeling flowing out of this track is one of haunting darkness once again, the track being more conventional in form yet still holding as much detachment and darkness as the earlier moments. This is another track which as it plays you, allows you to form your own accompanying images in your mind, it generates all sorts of thoughts and simply allows you to immerse yourself in the ambient doom which surrounds you. Closing with The Absolution Of The Self Imposed Sin, there’s one last chance to try and grasp an understanding of what’s going on here whilst the dark and ominous undertones continue to play out. Once again combining a darkened background with a lifting lead line initially, this is the sort of track which simply grabs your attention with the dark and sludgy backing track and allows you to take on board everything going on, a suitable end to an intriguing EP for sure.
What people need to realise when they go into this EP is that it’s not crafted of tracks which follow convention, it’s almost like a sludgy/doom metal version of free-form jazz if that makes sense. That said, there’s something here which will keep you listening and keep you wondering what’s going to come next. Whether it’s purely to see where things are going or to try and understand it more I don’t know, but what I do know is that this is perfect music to accompany the darkest of thoughts or a horror movie – it’s got that ominous feeling without being overbearing. Personally, I love that Broken Anatomy have got the guts to put a collection of tracks like this into an EP to allow the listener to make up their own mind, and I think it is going to be a good sign of what is to follow.
See below to find out what we thought last time we checked in on these guys!
Broken Anatomy
We were recently sent through a copy of the upcoming doom metal album from NJ based Broken Anatomy, the brainchild of one Samatha Smith, responsible for not only drums and guitars on the album, but vocals as well. Having formed under the guise of FaceFucker as an experimental grindcore project, Samantha has drawn on influence such as EYEHATEGOD, Down, My Dying Bride and Six Feet Under to form A Shadow Deemed Worthy, due out on the 1st of March this year. Seeing as we were sent out a copy, I figured it was only right that I check out what was on offer!
From the opening notes of Cavernous, one thing becomes clear, this is dark, distorted and powerful stuff right here. Acting almost as a lead in track to Walk Of The Damned, the albums ethos seems set firmly in ‘lets create something which is going to blow peoples minds’, and it seems to be doing it. Kicking in with some spoken vocals over a distorted and dark guitar line, the ominous feel of the track continues to grow before kicking into an all out doom metal break down of epic proportions. Guttural roaring fills your ears as rolling drums hammer around, kicking away any doubts about this and presenting you with a track full of all of the aggression and distortion which you could possibly want from this genre.
Our Pain Speaks continues the dark doom feel of the album , kicking into a sludgy mix of distorted guitar work and slow drumming, the whole mix forming a sludge which you can almost feel enveloping you. What’s most striking about this is the vocals, they manage to match the depth and power of more accepted doom metal bands, somehow powering up the track and turning it into something which is not only powerful, but also encourages you to listen so as not to miss anything out. Almost as if to throw a contrast into the mix, No Salvation is soon upon us and kicks into a track full of rolling beats, this time forming something which is surely going to have crowds circling and baying for blood. Showing off all of the influences at once, this seems to be a track which incorporates different elements, forming a track which can’t simply be described as doom metal, but instead adding elements which cause it to transcend to a new level, forming something else, something different, but something pretty darned good.
Plains of Maltak is another track which seems to demonstrate the outlook from Samantha, opening raw and powerful then not really releasing until the moment the track comes to a close. This is another example of how you can take different elements and craft them into a track which holds a lot of power without actually incorporating a lot of elements into it – if you listen to it, it’s relatively simple yet it works! All too soon though, Impossibility is upon us to close the album, once again opening slow and sludgy so as to nod to the peers of the genre yet adding an individual slant onto it. This track closes the album in anguish, closing with the power and pain with which it opened and leaving you wondering what the hell you just experienced, purely knowing that whatever it was, it was pretty cool.
Sludge and doom metal tend to be genres which few people connect with, all too often dismissing it as too slow or too distorted, but personally I quite enjoy it. This album is an example of how this genre can incorporate new elements and turn itself into something more, something which is more powerful yet somehow, simpler than the complex stuff you get. What’s most striking is that Samantha seems to have written and performed the entire album, so technically this is a solo project – which adds a whole new slant on it. I can’t wait to hear the finished product here as based on this, it could be something pretty damned interesting indeed.
To find out more about Broken Anatomy, check out their Facebook page HERE.
Words: Dave Nicholls.
From the opening notes of Cavernous, one thing becomes clear, this is dark, distorted and powerful stuff right here. Acting almost as a lead in track to Walk Of The Damned, the albums ethos seems set firmly in ‘lets create something which is going to blow peoples minds’, and it seems to be doing it. Kicking in with some spoken vocals over a distorted and dark guitar line, the ominous feel of the track continues to grow before kicking into an all out doom metal break down of epic proportions. Guttural roaring fills your ears as rolling drums hammer around, kicking away any doubts about this and presenting you with a track full of all of the aggression and distortion which you could possibly want from this genre.
Our Pain Speaks continues the dark doom feel of the album , kicking into a sludgy mix of distorted guitar work and slow drumming, the whole mix forming a sludge which you can almost feel enveloping you. What’s most striking about this is the vocals, they manage to match the depth and power of more accepted doom metal bands, somehow powering up the track and turning it into something which is not only powerful, but also encourages you to listen so as not to miss anything out. Almost as if to throw a contrast into the mix, No Salvation is soon upon us and kicks into a track full of rolling beats, this time forming something which is surely going to have crowds circling and baying for blood. Showing off all of the influences at once, this seems to be a track which incorporates different elements, forming a track which can’t simply be described as doom metal, but instead adding elements which cause it to transcend to a new level, forming something else, something different, but something pretty darned good.
Plains of Maltak is another track which seems to demonstrate the outlook from Samantha, opening raw and powerful then not really releasing until the moment the track comes to a close. This is another example of how you can take different elements and craft them into a track which holds a lot of power without actually incorporating a lot of elements into it – if you listen to it, it’s relatively simple yet it works! All too soon though, Impossibility is upon us to close the album, once again opening slow and sludgy so as to nod to the peers of the genre yet adding an individual slant onto it. This track closes the album in anguish, closing with the power and pain with which it opened and leaving you wondering what the hell you just experienced, purely knowing that whatever it was, it was pretty cool.
Sludge and doom metal tend to be genres which few people connect with, all too often dismissing it as too slow or too distorted, but personally I quite enjoy it. This album is an example of how this genre can incorporate new elements and turn itself into something more, something which is more powerful yet somehow, simpler than the complex stuff you get. What’s most striking is that Samantha seems to have written and performed the entire album, so technically this is a solo project – which adds a whole new slant on it. I can’t wait to hear the finished product here as based on this, it could be something pretty damned interesting indeed.
To find out more about Broken Anatomy, check out their Facebook page HERE.
Words: Dave Nicholls.