Quote from: Skin Flick on August 09, 2026, 07:30:51 PMAnenzephalia - LURKING IN THE SHADOW OF THE BROADCAST EMPIRE (2026, Tesco)
Was already excited when I saw the announcement for this go up, then became even more excited when it finally hit digital to tide me over till the CD came. Threw this on while driving with my partner and initially we started laughing over the opening sample...how quickly that faded. This album is grim, claustrophobic and VERY European. Just how I like my death industrial. It's full of amazing transitions to the point I didn't realize when the songs ended, it flows seamlessly which I am a massive sucker for on albums. I also could be mistaken, but isn't this the most vocals B. Moloch has done on an Anenz album? It seems like a great mixture of equipment as well, some sounds are clearly the MS-20 and others are just mysteries as to what's being used. Perfect sample placement, perfect themes and yet another masterclass from the legend.
10/10
Have listened to it a couple of times now. On Spotify only, since I'm waiting for the LP to arrive. The opening sample is the only thing I don't like here. It's a little too on the nose and the accent sounds a bit stupid. I guess it sets the premise for the album, though. Other than that, it's Anenzephalia as we know them. Very bleak. Not massive sounding, but with a well rounded soundscape. There are some very nice sounds in there. Some are obvious, some are not. I like how the thin metallic timbre and nervously flickering radio signals (I think) which are present throughout makes it all sound like some sort of distant radio transmission. The dual vocals work even better on record than live. Female vocals in industrial are often very effectful. The runtime, 10 tracks in c. 42 minutes, is perfect. So agreed, another masterpiece from Anenzephalia and for me probably the best album to come out since, well, the last Anenzephalia album (Magenta, that is, not the recent tape, although that was good too).
