Band: Anarchÿ | Album: Eyeclöser | Genre: Progressive thrash metal | Year: 2023
From: St. Louis, USA | Label: Independent
For fans of: Vektor, Coroner, Voivod
When I covered Anarchÿ’s debut album a couple years ago, I noted that thrash (and especially prog-thrash) is not the most widespread or vibrant metal subgenre at the moment, but the few bands in the current vanguard are pretty solid. Vektor is not known for a rigorous release schedule, and Droid–a Canadian prog-thrash act I like a lot–put out one album seven years ago, and it’s been radio silence since. With Anarchÿ, it’s nice to have a semi-regular flow of new music.
Or, well, mostly new music. Eyeclöser, the band’s second full-length record is three-quarters new material, but it does feature a handful of rerecorded songs originally from their 2021 EP Breathing Necropolis. As a proportion of this album’s total runtime, rerecordings have a combined length less than this album’s centerpiece suite. This is a long record, so get comfortable before settling in for it.
Eyeclöser starts off with the short, high-energy intro “Ruin in Color”. Despite barely being a minute long, Anarchÿ demonstrates a downright-Springsteenian level of verbosity. They’re also one of few modern acts where I feel that the lyrics enhance the music; whichever member of the band writes lyrics has a real way with words.
Following that intro is the 26-minute, six-part “Eyes of Nihil: An Endless Sea”, which starts off with a fun, warm synth lick. Plunging headlong into melodic, technical thrash metal from there, the song is a grandiose, existential sci-fi epic. Part I is full of exciting riffs and solos, and harshness is balanced against lush, symphonic elements. Part II slows things down, and acoustic and clean electric guitars set a tranquil mood, at least for a moment. Things gradually pick back up, though, and soon Anarchÿ has returned to galloping, yet irregular, thrash throughlines. This section features some of the best riffs the band has written. I really like the way synthesizer embellishments are included, as well.
Acoustic guitar reemerges as this opus moves into Part III, and bass gets a nice, noodly solo. Though the raw aggression of the first two parts has been pared back here, there’s still a sense of dread shot through this slow passage. Sitar and other Indic musical motifs are incorporated, giving this movement–titled “Ayahuasca for the Dead”–a fittingly ritualistic and meditative feel. The transition back to thrash is a bit jarring, but that feeling of disorientation passes soon enough, thanks to Anarchÿ’s ability to seemingly effortlessly write exhilarating, attention-grabbing riffs.
Part IV has a slightly more major-key mood. There’s a sense of ascendance here. Neoclassical soloing comes off as genuinely epic and awe-inspiring here, as opposed to the schlockiness it can often evoke in the hands of less-skilled bands. Part V features a guest backing vocalist, and her contributions, coupled with the generous synth pads, lend this section a sense of heavy drama. The instrumental theatrics are fantastic, with the band toying around with meter in a way that evokes Dream Theater’s best work. The closing Part VI revisits this piece’s opening synth lick after its one brief verse, and the extended, airy synth atmospherics are a wonderful contrast to the jagged, unsteady guitar part played over top. There’s both a sense of unease and acceptance that acts as a fitting capstone.
“The Helix Withers” is another thrilling piece that sees the band alternate between harsh, biting verses and more melodic instrumental passages. The acoustic interlude features some distant flute in the background. I really like all the textural variation the band has incorporated on this record. The greater inclusion of acoustic instruments and synthesizers adds a lot of depth.
Electronics open “Murder Me Dead”, and this cut demonstrates a greater integration of electronic elements than anything the band has done before. It’s still a thrash metal cut, but it’s glitchy and buzzy, and the percussion is clearly inspired by drum and bass music. I really like this synthesis. I’m not sure how it would hold up across a whole album, but it works as a four-minute experiment.
Following a brief interlude, Anarchÿ launches into a quartet of rerecorded songs from their debut EP (which I have not actually listened to). “Cellular Senescence Reversal” is a fun one-minute instrumental, and “Polarity Nelson” is a solid piece of prog-thrash. The composition might not be quite as sharp as the songs which precede it, but it’s enjoyable, nonetheless. The riffs themselves are a bit more traditional, but there’s such a diversity of them that it lends this eight-minute cut an irrepressible momentum.
“…Justice Denied” is a relatively terse three minutes, but it’s an unrelenting assault of herky-jerky riffage that draws from the transitional thrash-death of acts like Death and Atheist.
The opening of “Event Horizon” is a quiet acoustic arpeggio, but that doesn’t last long. This features the expected cavalcade of ever-shifting guitar lines snaking over one another, but it’s broken up by mellower moments. As fun as non-stop shredding can be, I really appreciate this structural dynamism.
Returning to entirely new material, “Chopin’s Nightmare” sees the band indulge in more neoclassical riffing, but there are also some striking, dissonant, notably Voivod-y moments mixed in, as well. This is followed by a weird, 11-second bluegrass interlude. If nothing else, this band will keep you on your toes.
“Blizzard and Brimstone” is good, but it’s probably the least-distinct song on the album. I like it, but it’s nothing special in the greater context of Eyeclöser. “Closer to the End” is barely two minutes long, but it’s great. Influences from doom and death metal are present in the more crushing walls of guitar here. “Maranasati” is the final proper song on the album. Sitar reappears here, and it’s blended with some alt-metal flavors. It’s a great, brooding instrumental to end the album on.
Eyeclöser is a fantastic record. It takes everything I loved about their album and cranks it up. Anarchÿ diversified their sound a bit, and it paid huge dividends. The bits of sitar and increased prominence of acoustic guitars and synthesizers provides a broader sound palette than most thrash acts work with, and that helps prevent such a huge album from dragging. There are no bad songs on this record, though it may run a hair long, overall. This is an immediate contender for my (music year, which runs Dec-Nov) 2024 album of the year.
Score: 94/100
The Elite Extremophile 