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Rating: Furious yet subtle, wild yet elegant, cacophonous yet majestic, violent yet sensual; and I could go on describing all the aspects of this "New Obscurantis Order", the third chapter made in France by the Anorexic Neurotics, who have never been more neurotic than this. Having left behind all the indecisions and mistakes of the predecessor "Drudenhaus", which was just an (unripe) attempt to change course from the horrific and boring first album "Exile", the group now showcases a mature, clean, and determined album, unleashing what turns out to be the best chapter of their short discography.
A chapter that, as you might have noticed from the first sentence of the review, encapsulates a mountain of attributes that, although they may have almost opposite connotations, seem to work great; just listen to episodes like "Mother Anorexia": a blend of chaos and jaunty melody played and vomited at the speed of light on the stage of convulsive and bloody horror. But who are the actors? Monsieur Hreidmarr who snarls and shouts who knows what while slaughtering his throat and bashing our poor auditory system (as usual), M. Stefan Bayle, whose job is to violently play the guitar until it bleeds, M. Pierre Couquet with his sharp and tireless bass strokes, M. Nilcas Vant who relentlessly drills every single track with vibrant blast beats and, finally, the jewel in the crown Neb Xort whose task is to sadistically play with his beloved keyboards, hissing and cruel like the devil.
Some band members have improved compared to before: the drummer, first and foremost, no longer seems to be playing 10 miles away, the guitarist finally PLAYS, while before he only produced an unbearable buzzing sound that seemed to come from a mad bee trapped in the bag of a malfunctioning vacuum cleaner, and finally the singer is placed slightly more in the foreground (and thank goodness, had he been louder, he would have broken the CD player).
Overall the tracks are agile, powerful, and never predictable thanks to the precise and timely contributions of the aforementioned Xort and, not to be overlooked, the clean and theatrical vocals of Hreidmarr, who not only indulges in high-pitched screams but also in bold clean vocals in French that certainly contribute to making the song structure more varied (see "Le Portail de la Vierge" and "Chatiment de la Rose").
Other times, female vocals emerge out of nowhere ("Mother Anorexia"; "Stabat Mater Dolorosa"), sensual and I would almost say vampiric, and the result can only be positive for such a malevolent album.
Equally malevolent are the frenzied laughs at the end of the track "The Altar of Holocausts", and just as it is about to conclude and we prepare for the next martyrdom, here comes the surprise of surprises: a magnificent piece played entirely on piano titled "Hail Tyranny", which is an impeccable cover of the famous "Prelude in C# Minor" by Rachmaninov. Three wonderful minutes that pass like three seconds.
To wrap it up here, I would recommend the album to those who want to try something different from the usual Symphonic Black Metal now infested by bland bands like Cradle of Filth or the recent Dimmu Borgir. Incidentally, Hreidmarr has often been compared to Dani Filth for his frequent high-pitched screams or even to Shagrath, but I believe neither of them can reach his levels. The AN is a band that truly knows what they are doing and they demonstrate it both here and in the successor "Redemption Process". Forgive me, but five stars seem appropriate, maybe also because I feel a bit of sympathy for these five kind French gentlemen...
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
01 Mother Anorexia (04:43)
[Lyrics by RMS Hreidmarr]
Inhale your own worst obssession
Forgive me mother
Inhale, forget the one you're waiting for
The adversary - accusation
The last fall is endless
Await the blade upon your tiny chest
I miss an existence I don't even know
My addiction
I've seen the universe in your eyes
I've seen the beauty that never dies
Mother
Mother Anorexia engraves my veins
There's blood and anger all under my nails
Mother Anorexia, my hope was fake
Mother Sephirah, they never existed
Mother Anorexia
I miss a sacrifice
No weakness, no instinct, no vileness
I've seen the angels prostitute
I've seen my loss so cute
I've seen the universe in your eyes
I've seen the beauty that never dies
Mother
I live in fear - I hate myself
Wanna make love with myself
While cutting deep inside my flesh
Shallow's your own worst deception
Betray me mother
Swallow and kill the one you believe you love
The way to your perfect immolation
The last fall is endless
Await my hand upon your offered breasts
Now your embrace the no one can take, the never, the always
A colder fear...
Poison's getting closer to me
So pure innocent child
Untouchable, virgin like
Not as dark as I thought it was
02 Châtiment de la Rose (05:17)
(Lyrics by RMS Hreidmarr)
His purity and his tears
In destruction he dwells
My achievement in murder
And he was meant to suffer
Enthrone the new Demiurge
He told me my mission... purify
Tu as vole tout ce que j'avais
Tu m'as enleve mon dernier espoir
Innommable larve ecoeurante de lachete
Je te hais
I wanna see your agony in the worst suffering ever
Those of your race deserve only hate
My wishes reflect his will
And he spoke to me
He told me to kill
To kill, to kill
Wish you were here close to me
We could forget them
My faith has been slaughtered by my sinner's body
I f**king shall not forgive anything
Tu es la putain des faiblesses humaines
Tiede et obscene
Aveuglee par ce desir suintant de vanite
Sans valeur
Elle sera ma victoire
Elle sera au-dessus de tout
Elle fermera le cercle
Et ouvrira enfin ses yeux d'ange
Plus rien n'existe, tes mains sont sales
Regarde-moi dans les yeux une derniere fois
Je perds mon sang par mille blessures et tu ne vois rien
Nous sommes si seuls maintenant
Et je me noierais dans tes larmes
Ta vie portera le sceau ecarlate
De mon sang a jamais bafoue
Je te maudis
Je vomis sur ton ame et sur tous les tiens
La mort pour tes parents
La torture et le viol pour tes enfants.
Je vous hais jusqu'a la mort
Gloire aux anges salvateurs
Gloire aux anges redempteurs
Purifiez ce monde dans le sang !
F**king no servility to the rites of mortals
04 Stabat Mater Dolorosa (07:20)
(Lyrics by RMS Hreidmarr)
We are the Sun
We are the dead stars
We are the black sky
Invading your room
We are the candle
The only light
We are the machines of the past
Forever victims and murderers of your joy
We are Death
The ancient knowledge
The source of origin
The red and white sacred hatred
Enthroned, materialized
The wrath of heaven and hell united in one
Worship us, be faithful
Beautiful great and cursed
Vexilla regis prodeunt, fulget crucis mysterium
Vexilla regis prodeunt inferni
We are the...
Mother of suffering
Bringer of virtue
Possess the Holy, drink the wine
Arise my son, follow me
I've felt the wounds of our race
We are the shadows of all your fathers
The ancestors of those who suffer
Come, when my hand will die upon
Thy forehead, you'll breath in the flames
Stabat Mater Dolorosa, fulget crucis mysterium
Stabat Mater Dolorosa, vexilla regis prodeunt
Be without doubt as you've been without weakness
We will open the five roses
We will awake the seven churches of the final confrontation
Mother of suffering
Hater of mercy, divine whore
Mother of fanatics
Be sure we'll meet again
Stabat Mater Dolorosa, fulget crucis mysterium
Stabat Mater Dolorosa, vexilla regis prodeunt
Chatiee d'etre nee putain
Non, chatiee d'etre nee trop tard
Une seule nuit ne suffit plus
A nous separer du paradis perdu
Mother of suffering
Hater of mercy, divine whore
Mother of fanatics
Hold me, we'll be united as one
Stabat Mater Dolorosa
To serve and to obey
Here is your tragic destiny
Your only choice is the name of your Lord and Everything
Your illusion of madness and liberty
Sealed your eternal enslavement
Slaves to your race
We are the Sun
We are the dead stars
We are the night sky
We are the New Obscurantis Order
New Obscurantis Order
06 The Altar of Holocausts (05:22)
[Lyrics by RMS Hreidmarr]
Blessed be my own decision
This body must burn upon the Altar of Holocausts
Murder her when you make love
Like millions of worms penetrating her flesh
While she's lying down, down in the dirt
And there is no nobility
When I try to kill the sin in me
To fuck equals to kill
And I'll make her live in the purest, blackest hell ever
When I raise my fist slowly, so-called king
And when my words become your one and only world...
Keys to the gates of submission
Obey, and look down
I don't love you
I'm the eye of deception
Control the worms
I was meant to die, to order and to reign
I am just a white fading flower
As he used to call me
Burn the witch
Razorblade
Expire
Last breath
Krieg in Sicht
Yet if as holiest men have deem'd, there be
A land of souls beyond that sable shore...
How sweet it were in concert to adore
With those who made our mortal labours light,
To hear each voice we fear'd to hear no more
Behold each mighty shade reveal'd to sight
The Bactrian, Samian sage, and all who taught the right !
Motherfucking sage will not come to save you, fool !
Krieg in Sicht
A smile - I defy
With all my innocence
My lips closer to yours, I feel your breath
Attraction, repulsion and pride
Desire made me think I had the right
To take your life away
Die by my own will
Nature of Holocaust
Just walk away from the line
Do it
09 Solitude (05:40)
[Candlemass cover-version - bonus track]
[Lyrics by Leif Edling]
I'm sitting here alone in darkness
Waiting to be free,
Lonely and forlorn I'm crying
I long for my time to come
Death means just life
Please let me die in solitude
Hate is my only friend
Pain is my father
Torment is delight to me
Death is my sanctuary
I seek it with pleasure
Please let me die in solitude
Receive my sacrifice
My lifeblood is exhausted
No-one gave love and understanding
Hear these words
Vitrifiers and pretenders
Please let me die in solitude
Earth to earth
Ashes to ashes
And dust to dust
And please let me die in solitude
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