17. Anubis Gate – Covered In Black
Genre: Power Metal, Progressive Metal, Experimental Metal
Sounds Like: All the usual names...but with a twist
Listening to prog/power-metallers Anubis Gate on Covered In Black is an experience that always feels like your perception is slightly out of step, challenging you when you least expect it and forcing you to adjust to its own "sense" of normalcy.
Background-wise, this is a concept record of sorts that deals with people who've been ****ed over and left to rot in underbelly of society and their experiences / mindsets / etc. (killers, soldiers discarded by their governments, those at the bottom of the bottom who struggle to survive). Lyrically obtuse at times like many proggy metal albums tend to be, it doesn't stay within the lines either: Dream Theater this ain't. There's weird Middle Eastern melodic progressions, other instruments that come in and out, oddly timed choruses and minor melodies that wind together into an manifold flavored stew that tastes better as you continue to eat.
The "odd" elements in question would include the inclusion of a cello solo on opening stormer 'Psychotopia', the cinematic Indian instrumentation that litters 'The New Delhi Assasination' and 'Operation Cairo" and lots of electronic music touches that rear their heads even on straightforward proggy/power metal cuts such as 'Black' or 'The Combat', which rank as the most conventional numbers even though they get by on sheer catchiness.
I suppose the bottom line is that for those of you that are looking for something off-kilter in the prog. metal world but felt the genre was out of new ideas, Covered In Black is a great reminder that there are still plenty of bands out there willing to blend the conventional and unconventional in an effective way...and even explore some pretty emotional subject matter to boot.