Review of 'A Tower of Silence' : Progressive Area (France)

This is the second album for the Australian band, Anubis, following on from their very good '230503', released late in 2009 and favourably reviewed here at Progressive Area by my colleague, Merlin.

'A Tower Of Silence' tells the story of the spirit of an eleven year old girl lost inside the walls of a victorian paupers' hospital where she lived and died. Of course, this is a concept album and all songs are linked, almost all by the sounds of nature (Pink Floyd, you say?), through a barrage of highly melodic instrumental flights of fancy.

Just imagine - you are in Australia and that you are going to see a concert with Anubis opening for Unitopia! If you didn't know, these two groups are two of the best progressive rock discoveries of the past decade, on tour together! How I wish I could teleport from time to time!

The core influences and likenesses are simple, the first and longest piece, 'The Passing Bell', comprised of six parts is strongly reminiscent of IQ with vocals not unlike Peter Nicholls. The brilliant guitarists play at their very best. This is great art, timeless.

This suite segues well into 'Archway of Tears', a far shorter, nervous, and harder piece, but not uninteresting either. I had my reservations about 'This Final Resting Place', a little over eight minutes with a lot of vocal, but keyboards are merely assisting the guitars - a small disappointent. However, if you like your guitars, then Christmas has come early for you, and it's fun and games for Douglas Skene and Dean Bennison.

Then follows the title track, introduced by a delicate piano and a symathetic vocal. A tragedy (these are the words) playing out with hyperintense music of astounding beauty. The keyboards again take the bull by the horns, guitars this time assist with gentle arpeggios before a devastating but highly melodic solo. A true work of craftsmanship. The second highlight of the work and it's not over ...

Slightly calmer, comes "Weeping Willow", breathing Beatles-esque that will allow us to take our spirits under the willow tree before the storm ... which breaks out on the sixth title, the most conventional and the least ambitious on the album, despite some great keyboard parts (that's my opinion - it's purely subjective and open to debate, of course).

The third highlight is 'The Holy Innocent', the story of time passing, and Robert James Moulding's best vocals to date. David Eaton uses his whole array of keyboards, mostly in the background (real or sampled mellotron? I do not know), except for a solo piano section. The guitarists play mostly in unison, and there is still a very strong influence of IQ in this piece, its just as if, for a moment, Michael Holmes made a trip to Australia, before a ripping saxophone solo in the final section.

We end our trip with "All That Is", a quiet piano introduction, then the mellotron (yes, I know I am obsessed with it). The spitting guitars ... it's hard pulse dominates before a softer instrumental bridge that takes us far, far away, outside the walls of the workhouse, somewhere in another world, another dimension. Listen and listen again to this musical beauty that comes from the Australian sextet Anubis.

A Tower of Silence - Australian Tour 2011 (Pt. 2)

Robert, backstage at the Factory Theatre

Day 7 - Sydney

The Factory theatre is easier to find that I had expected it to be. Just around the corner from my old haunt, 'The Vic on the Park', which ten long years ago was one of the best venues in Sydney, I arrived early enough to secure a car park. Dean and Beck had already arrived, Steve and Rob were with myself, and Dougie, Martyn and Nick had arrived by this point as well.

After loading all the gear, including Steve's evil hardware bag up two flights of stairs, we got a good look at the theatre we were to call home for the rest of the day. Quite simply, it's a stunning venue. The stage is a great size, meaning it would accommodate my rig set up discreetly at the side, saving me the inevietable 'band changeover headache' of trying to cram a 25 minute set up into 10 minutes or less- which I can do, but it really doesn't agree with me. The pressure really puts me on edge, only to discover that something is not working properly and I have to go ahead without it. I can assure you, I've lost a few hairs because of this. Sometimes I really miss being a guitarist!

Steve's kit, set-up and soundchecked.

Set-up and soundcheck was really painless, for a start, Stuart, the sound guy was an absolute joy and had a good sound from the get-go. In 15 years of gigging, he really was the best sound guy I've worked with. He was also that rare breed, a sound guy who actually realises and appreciates that the keyboards aren't merely there for show- they need to be heard as well! That rationale was partially explained by the fact that the house music was all Uriah Heep classics from the 1970's. I was stoked!

Keyboard player and saxophonist in conference during soundcheck

As show time got closer, I changed into my gig clothes and sat in the backstage chatting to the chaps from Unitopia. Sean, as ever, was giving freely of his knowledge and experience, and those suggestions were filed away for future plans. Again we filed out to watch Toehider and Sleepmakeswaves. After another near-flawless display from the force of nature that is Mike Mills' larynx and the dynamic Sleepmakeswaves, who delivered an enjoyable set that deviated from the post-rock norm by actually having melodies (it has to be said, I'm really no post-rock enthusiast, generally finding it a little like a U2 backing track with loads of reverb- my problem, not the genres...) and thankfully, Sleepmakeswaves neatly circumvented this with their more melodious approach. From the new-school to the old...

The fretmeisters on stage at the factory

I have to say, this show ranked as one of Anubis' best. The pressure lifted through our being completely organised and ready to go just cushioned the performance nicely. Watching some of the footage back, I have to say I'm certain it holds up to the highest scrutiny. The Passing Bell flew where it merely floated before, with the riffs, harmonies and Dean's solo filling the room and seemingly resonated with the big crowd who'd by now gathered. Archway of Tears had an aggressive bark that seemed to exorcise the ghosts of the previous gig, and again, Doug shone in his feature in the middle. The Holy Innocent was precise and suitably 'epic', with Martyn again providing a wonderful augmentation to the regular 6-piece we're all used to. Disinfected and Abused, by now expected as our closing number was as precise and powerful a version we've ever played and the on-stage sound was exceptional. Robert unleashed a monster in this piece and ended up trashing his own percussion - not quite Keith moon, but he's getting there. We managed to combine high energy and musical precision- an elusive combination!

Disinfected and Abused from audience

Coming off stage, we were all on a huge high. This is the sort of scale of event that Anubis excels at, and we delivered. Mixing with people, the impression that we'd set ourselves a new benchmark was confirmed.

The rest of the evening was taken up by being stopped by a number of complimentary conversations and remarks from a number of people, most of which I'd never seen before. As soon as Unitopia had finished their well-recieved set, we got out of there as quickly as we could- we'd not eaten and were all hungry as hell; meaning obligatory late-night greasy kebabs and end-of-tour celebrations were in order!

A Tower of Silence Australian Tour 2011 (Pt. 1)

Day 1 - Melbourne

Tonight I have house guests. To save extra buggering about at some ungodly hour, Steve and Rob have taken to kipping at my place tonight. Doug lives but a stone throw away and we have to be at Dean's (not a stone's throw by any stretch of the imagination) at something like 4:30am. It's tantamount to criminal. My keyboard rig and Steve's drums are safely ensconced within the luggage hold of the bus; having been prepared earlier, and all that we could concievably do has been done.

Unfortunately, in Gingerworld, accross the park, the only plan that was concieved was Hemina's, in a rehearsal studio, until midnight. Waking our hirsuite fretmeister was never going to be an easy task. In contrast, myself and my house guests retired before 11pm.

Awoken by the smell of fresh coffee and a relentlessly chipper Steve at 3:30am. Not a time I do my best thinking, it has to be said. Robert snarled and complained into view not long after. After packing some last minute items- bedding, clothes, gigwear, some spare leads et al, our party of three made the trek to Chez Dougal to rouse him and his lovely missus.

The two zombies duly emerged; having slept much less than us. But before too long, andrenaline had kicked in (aided and abetted by Red Bull) and we were on our way.

Met with Martyn on route, and got to Dean's at about 4:15. The bus was already there. By 4:35 we were heading out and were on our way. For me, this was not only my first time playing interstate, it was also my first time in Melbourne. The whole thing was terribly exciting.

Robert and Doug - Bus Hedonism. Or not.

The bus trip seemed to mostly melt away, after stopping for breakfast and catching up on some much missed sleep, we watched the DVD I had edited of the recording of the new album (the whole process was captured on at least one of the iPhones we had in the studio at the time). There seemed to be unanimous approval and a tremendous sense of cameraderie and occasion about the whole affair. It felt great.

As close as Anubis gets to Rock and Roll lifestyle. Dean with a liquid friend.

Melbourne crept up on us . The gig unfortunately collided with the AFL (Aussie Rules for all non-Australians) semi-finals and as such, with the sport being the major religion in Melbourne, the traffic was horrendous. The street the gig was on was being pulled up by the council. The GPS did not comprehend this and aggressively directed the bus driver to turn around at every opportunity. It took us nearly an hour to get back to the gig, as our load in time eroded, and our promotor/label boss/svengali/knight in shining armour, Mike tore out thick clumps of hair.

Steve and Rob compete for Idiot of the Year 2011

Arriving at the venue and circumnavigating three flights of stairs with a whole keyboard rig slung around my shoulders (*definitely not reccommended), we eventually got everything on stage, and I chatted with Sean from Unitopia about keyboard rigs, keyboard players, records we like etc. (I have a theory that there is an unspoken connection between keys players in general. Nobody else in the band gives a toss about our cracked gear fetishes, and we seem to seek each other out, rarely with any sort of success, so we can talk about the finer points of our dream rigs. We are the true meaning of sad gits.)

The only way to travel. Anu-Bus.

Rob, Doug and Steve on route to Melbourne.

In what seemed no time at all, we were hurried up onstage and the sample for the Passing Bell bought the whole thing exploding to life. The show was mixed, with some very good moments, some moments that were influenced by a highly exhausted band, and a JC120 amplifier that decided to retire itself at the conclusion of the penultimate song, leaving Disinfected and Abused slightly Doug-less, until we patched him direct into the keyboard mixer. Far from ideal but it did work. The Passing Bell, still in it's infancy as a live track, really worked as an opener. Archway of Tears, as the current single, had to be played. But the highlight was 'The Holy Innocent', with that showstopping sax solo. Disinfected, as the hoary old favourite still holds it's place as the obvious closer.

Anubis, Live at the Hi-Fi, September 23rd 2011

The gig was, I thought, average- and perhaps a less than auspicious start to the AToS touring cycle, however, the people who watched it seemed to enjoy it, confirmed in a conversation with Dave from Classic Rock Present Prog who enjoyed the gig very much. What do I know?

We had a bite to eat following the show and watched labelmates Toehider launch their new album. Mike Mills is a stunning vocalist with a range that we all envied, and a massive army of influences in their catchy and accessible take on prog. I'd love to jam on Hammond with them, actually. I could hear parts all over the place. Ridiculously friendly and accommodating too.

The Toehider home-ground fans soon thinned out leaving the prog faithful for Unitopia. As I have said before, I really appreciated the cameraderie with Sean before the show and was looking forward to continuing that in Sydney the following week. The rest of the band were friendly, although we became better acquainted with them the following week. The keyboards sounded wonderful, and although Unitopia and Anubis have quite different approached to keys sounds, there is a vast area of common influence which I heard and enjoyed very much.

Tetley time. And not Tea. Martyn, Doug and I, Tour Bus, Melbourne.

As the dying embers of 'The Garden' hung in the air, we made overtures to get our gear back up the stairs and onto the waiting bus. By 12:45, some 22 hours into my day, we left Melbourne bound for Sydney. Tempered by Tetley's bitter that Steve and I had bought as Martyn, Steve, Rob, Doug and myself relived the experience. Stopping about 3 hours into the journey for a horrid service station cheeseburger and lavatory visit, we decided to camp for the night. By this time, the bus is silent and of the 10 passengers the only noise to be heard is from the English contingent (+ Doug), who soon one by one retired to sleep.

Robert, Tour bus, Melbourne.

The blog is back!

A quick note to say that after remaining dormant, the blog is returning with all the stories surrounding the new 'A Tower of Silence' album.

Interview transcripts, road and studio diary entries and various thoughts and feelings of the band members over the course of the next year as the promotional cycle for AToS continues endlessly!

230503 review @ www.progressive-area.com

If you are a progressive rock band releasing your first album based on the concept of death and the death of a loved one, what more appropriate name for your band to choose than Anubis, the god of the dead and funeral rites in ancient Egypt.

They are an Australian band formed in Sydney, in 2004 under the leadership of Robert James MOULDING (vocals) and keyboardist David EATON. Anubis also features Douglas SKENE (guitarist), bassist Nick ANTOINETTE and drummer Steven EATON. Note that the production is carried by guitarist Dean Bennison, also of THE EXPERT SLEEPERS.

This, their first album, comes in a beautiful packaging. The cover refers to the duality at work - as in that of "The Division Bell" by PINK FLOYD. Musically, this album is a conceptual work inspired by the death of a friend of some of the members of Anubis. The atmosphere of "230503" is a like a little film. This is definitely an album of progressive rock- rich, ballsy and epic. With occasional touches of acoustic folk, electro, world, experimental, lyrical landscapes with strong vocal harmonies.

This concept starts with the story of a young man aged 20. Dissatisfied with his life and loneliness, he meets a girl on the internet. He will do anything for her and together they embark on a boat trip. The right time for him to offer her a beautiful silver pendant. Overtaken with a deep emotion, he feels the need step outside ... and is seen no more. Did he fall overboard? He wakes up in a kind of amnesia in an unfamiliar land, dressed in rags and becomes a drug dealer. After many adventures, he was taken by ambulance to hospital following an overdose. There, he saw a nurse with a similar silver pendant around her neck. You think the story ends there with a happy ending? Nay! In this text, the scenario goes up in smoke, this story is imagined by the younger sister of the young man who does not accept his death and clinging to the hope that his brother is still alive somewhere.

With the sound of a telephone ringing, sometimes synonymous with bad news, there begins the explosive "The Deepest Wound". The rhythmic flirts with KING CRIMSON (the era of "Discipline") supported by a rhythm guitar marking a strong tension. This piece closes with "Leaving Here Tonight" whose intro on acoustic guitar has echoes of "Dogs" by PINK FLOYD and is a vehicle for the expressive vocals of Robert James MOULDING; dynamics and pace rises gradually before the denoument, with crashing guitar chords and synths, in sumptuous layers.

The main ingredients of "Breaking Water" are the piano and vocals but also features the mellotron and synths that make some inroads of beauty, which is reminiscent of Genesis. Then comes "Waterfall" quite simply a beautiful ballad. But what about the guitar solo? Quite simply, great. Layered with mellotron which reveals all its mystery to close with alluring notes of African percussion. There is a terrifying atmosphere guaranteed with "Anonymity" which begins in a mysterious way. And then it gets carried away, the bass bounces well supported by drums, guitar distorts. Everything changes, the atmosphere is electric. In short, the piece that alternates between pictures - like "The Bond of Mutual Distrust," with an acoustic guitar introduction, part plaintive and poignant and part rhythmic powerful riffs. The whole is supported by a dynamic rhythm section and embellished with keyboards, mellotron, and various sound effects based in the song.

A little later, "The Doctor" plays with more pop rock tones, and we note an aggressive song. As for the shortest song, "Flying / Falling", it is more electronic synthesizers in this arrangement. The voice on the vocoder and the repetition gives it an air of KRAFTWERK. Among the highlights, the last two pieces- real pieces that will give you chills for half an hour. First, there is "The Collapse", a complex piece divided into two parts. The first, punctuated by a thundering bass, keyboards and an electric guitar solo worthy of Steve ROTHERY. The piano introduces the transition and the second part that again reflects a long Floydian grand finale, a dignified sensibility. Everything is illuminated by the melancholy vocal of Robert James MOULDING. ANUBIS close the album with a bang in "Disinfected and Abused", an epic 17 minutes. The styles are so diverse and complex, with moments of melancholy, hard, soft, exhilarating and sometimes puzzling. The major influence is PINK FLOYD. Note the excellent injection of saxophone.

Anubis offers a splendid debut album showing a great maturity with two key pieces worthy of the great group that is PINK FLOYD. I would strongly recommend "230503"! Certainly a top album and a real shot in the heart.

230503 review @ www.progarchives.com

I kept telling myself I have to review this album. It is a very good record, exceptional for a debut, exceptional in almost every sense.

What we get here is a brand of prog that falls under neo-crossover-symphonic so the band is pretty genre-defying which I admire. It came as unexpected to me, I only read three reviews of the album and was kind of going on a limb, but I've loved the album since first listen.

Their is some type of concept that I have not been able to decipher (making me listen harder) and the music is very intriquing (making each listen enjoyable).

The music itself is kind of hard to describe because the mood shifts quite a bit throughout but overall there is a sort of heavy acoustic feel. When they rock out, they really rock out though and the saxophone is an addition that really gives the album a good flavor.

Just simple decent music. A kind that I haven't seen in awhile. 5 stars (practically without hesitation).

230503 review @ www.progarchives.com

Very interesting debut album from these aussies. They sure know how to mix 70´s style prog music with modern sounds resulting a very strong record.

But I must confess I wasn´t taken by 230503 at first. Their tendency for the prog metal side caught me by surprise since this band was labeled as neo prog. Sure, they do have an afinity with the classic bands (Pink Floyd being the most obvious one), they like to use vintage sounding keyboards together with heavy guitars that sometimes tend for the alternative, but not too much. After some time you get used to it and you can really enjoy this CD a lot.

230503 is a concept album and - like all of them - it has some ups and downs, because the music has to follow the storyline. But fortunatly there are much more ups than down moments. Some parts are very emotional and the guitars soar (yes, the ones that sound like Gilmour!). Robert James Moulding´s voice is not one of the best, but he delivers the goods with such passion and sincerity you have to be made of stone not to be moved by his singing. The same can be said of the instrumental side of the CD. The production is excellent, with all the instruments very well balanced all through the record.

Conclusion: this is surely a band to watch. The music is energetic and full of conviction. A very good start. I´m looking forward to hear their next works. Rating: four strong stars. Welcome, guys!

Rating: 4/5