ANNO DEMONI

"Anno Demoni" was released in 1979 around the same time as their departure album "Ralefun." Both came from a period where Antonius Rex was gaining momentum as a unit but wishing for some space to deal with the new job of parenting (see my review of Ralefun for more history from this period.) Anno Demoni (AD for short) is different than their other works and very strange in structure. In some ways it is a compilation, in that the ideas were culled from unused pieces dating to the early '70s. The tracks were recorded and constructed at various points in the mid-later '70s and embellished with sound effects in an attempt to give the album a more cohesive feel (which doesn't work.) The Rex themselves rate this album higher than Ralefun on their website but I have to disagree. To me AD is well below the standard of this group and the weakest effort I've heard from them.

Even from the weakest Rex album there are some worthy moments. But not many. Parts of "Gloriae Manus" and "Jacula the Witch" contain the gothic organ, doom wrenched drumbeat, and siren song vocals of Doris Norton which recall the late Jacula/first Rex period in sound. But there is no conceptual glue here, no feeling that these tracks support each other or draw the listener in. It feels tremendously hollow, especially the very weak material in the middle of the album. "Soul Satan" in particular is silly and sloppy with a horrible vocal and "Missanigra" bores me like no other Rex has. And then there is the critical and embarrassing mistake that dooms this album to the low rating I have to award here. Someone went nuts with the Common Loon sound effect. The Loon (for those who don't know) is a water bird like a duck but with a haunting, other-worldly cry it makes at dusk. Used very sparingly, the Loon call can add a nice effect to any song trying to create a certain natural world effect. Used constantly throughout FOUR of the album's six tracks was either a mistake or bad judgement. It sounds ridiculous quite frankly, especially on the track "Soul Satan" where they actually use the bird call in the rhythm of the song! It's timed in there like a cymbal crash and overall it renders the material beyond consideration. There is a "wind chime" (I think) sound effect that is also overused. There is simply no reason to purchase this album given the other great material out there from these artists.

Black Widow did a nice job with the reissue correcting the early Mellow release that improperly credited the album to Jacula. The sound is good and the booklet contains a nice Bio. But I can't even give this 2 stars to recommend to fans as I really find the overall release and concept to be pretty poor. It is for Rex completionists only--even the bonus tracks are not necessary if you own the early material.

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