Wow, that's strong tobacco! From the first listen I felt the happiness hormones release and the desire for more...
Since this band emerges from down-under, of which one has heard absolutely nothing, I read the enclosed promotional text which explains simply the concept, or the narrative behind it. Other than that, no further detail about the band is enclosed. So, I took some time on the internet and shed some light on this.
Anubis is a six-piece band, created around founding members and the creative minds of Robert James Moulding (vocals) and David Eaton (keyboards). 230503 is a fictitious, confusing story in which a person simply disappears and is used in a cruel experiment. However, it appears at the end that the whole thing was a figment of his sister's imagination. An interesting idea.
Musically we get a delicatessen, featuring elements from new art rock, neo-prog and even a little ambient. The mood of the album is a bit like a movie narrative- there are dramatic moments, but also quiet places where you can really catch something.
Robert James Moulding's voice is very expressive and reminds me a little bit of Vincent Cavannagh of Anathema. Also in the music a few parallels can be drawn to Anathema, however Anubis seem much more progressive. There's a Pink Floyd feel to much of this record, however, particularly the piano playing and the occasional string arrangements, which look toward British New Art Rock, while the hymn-like guitar solos and the Mellotron passages are fairly typical of Neo-Prog.
The last two (long) tracks on the album are the icing on the cake - goose bumps are guaranteed! Say hello to Marillion and Pink Floyd. Another highlight I find beautiful is the Marillion-tinged ballad Waterfall.
Conclusion: Without a doubt, Anubis is a magnificent, melodic firework, and managed to surprise me. Albums like this make me believe in the future of prog rock. For the fans of melodic, slightly melancholic prog rock with the imapct of Pink Floyd this is highly recommended. The CD's are coming soon in the shop.
On their webpage you can listen to audio: http://www.anubismusic.com/
Added: Saturday 03 July 2010
by: Daniel Eggenberger
Ratings: 5/5
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