ANUBIS GATE

Anubis Gate is a Danish melodic progressive metal act that some may already be well familiar with. This is a band that has been around for quite some time now, having delivered some great melodic power metal in the past decade. The band's sound has been constantly developing into slightly different incarnations, and Anubis Gate continues to deliver with this; their self0titled fifth album. Surfing the web to see what I could dig up on these guys, one thing became very clear to me; that this band has a dedicated fanbase, and are in constant anticipation of what they will do next. With fans having such a, well, fanatical appreciation for the band's music, my hoipes were resting on this album meeting the acclaim people have been giving them. To that end, I have been both impressed and simultaneously disappointed by what this band has done. Anubis Gate's self-titled album s an engaging, powerful, and well-produced piece of melodic prog metal, but at the same time, there is not quite enough here to have the band truly distinguish themselves out of the legions of other likeminded bands out there.

Melodic progressive metal is often something I approach without having the greatest expectations; my experience has seen me through dozens (if not hundreds by this point) of bands that go down the same route of making overly refined and produced melodic metal that lacks bite, ambition, and above all, originality. I will state from the get-go that Anubis Gate is a much better band than many of those which share a similar sound. Especially when it comes to their powerful layerings of sound and the pleasantly acrobatic vocals of their singer and bassist Henrik Fevre, Anubis Gate's well-trodden and modern sound succeeds largely in its execution. The songwriting is strong as well, although by the end of the album, it does feel as if Anubis Gate could use a change of formula in their songwriting, or at least an addition to their sound to make them that much more exciting. That being said, what they do already is very good, and I can remember myself being very impressed by the album's excellent opener 'Hold Back Tomorrow' from my first listen onwards.

'Golden Days' is another highlight here, with a great hook in the chorus and strong layering of melodic guitars. The closing track here shows Anubis Gate opening their sights and becoming more ambitious with the songwriting. 'Circumstanced' (no worries, I misread it the first time as well!) is something of a departure from the concise songwriting for a more dramatic approach to the music, taking its time to build up to a fantastic closer. Anubis Gate's more conventional approach to songwriting is also impressive, but it does begin to feel as if each song shares a little too similar of a structure. The sounds they use for each song can vary however; in parts, Anubis Gate even incorporate electronic sounds into the music, which is something I have heard done much better before, but it adds a surprise or two to the album.

The production here is clear, but there is a feeling it is a little overproduced, when a little more human feeling and organic performance could have let these songs really jump out of the speakers. There are certainly weaknesses and flaws to 'Anubis Gate', but what the album does succeed at, they do incredibly well. Some great performances, tight songwriting, and a strong grasp of melody. A very good album from these Danes.

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