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ANUBIS GATE

Anubis Gate

Progressive Metal


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Conor Fynes
PROG REVIEWER
4 stars 'Anubis Gate' - Anubis Gate (7/10)

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.

Report this review (#505842)
Posted Friday, August 19, 2011 | Review Permalink
3 stars I have to admit I am not the biggest fan of progressive metal in the world. I am an not a fan at all, in fact. I got this album from their PR agent and I also interviewed the band some time ago so here is my honest opinions about this, their brand new album.

Anubis Gate from Denmark does typical prog metal with a lot of melody, big production and some small details which spices up the songs. This sounds like an album made in 2010/11 and it probably is too.

The songs are all good and their big sound with multi layered instruments suits these songs well. My main gripe is that what I get is what I expected to get. There is no surprises and nowhere on this album which makes me sit up and take notice. This is good fare for the fans of the band and in particular; this genre. For an outsider; this is nice fare, but nothing more than that.

Good, but not great and neither is it an interesting album. Fans of prog metal out there should check out this album though because it ticks all the right boxes.

3 stars

Report this review (#506740)
Posted Sunday, August 21, 2011 | Review Permalink
memowakeman
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR
Honorary Collaborator
3 stars When we see that an album has the same name as the band, we may think that it is their debut album, experiences have told us that people use to do that, however, this time Anubis Gate share their name with their fifth studio album, released for the first under Nightmare Records. It is the first time they do not release an album under Locomotive Records, and also the first time after several years that the band consists only of four members. I don't really know if some of these two issues have something to do with the self-titled name of the album, but it would make sense.

Well, this is actually my first rue encounter with this Danish metal band, so please be patient with me, and also be patient because as some of you know, I am neither an expert nor true follower of the metal scene. "Anubis Gate" offers ten compositions that together make a totl time of 62 minutes, in which you will find progressive-melodic-metal (excuse my ridiculous labels).

The songs here are not that short, and we can notice it since its opener "Hold Back Tomorrow" that shares seven minutes of the self-called Anubis Gate sound, which has a melodic yet powerful metal style, with nice vocals, great keyboard soundscapes and of course, strong guitars.

What I like of the album is that they don't really have the same sound in all the songs, of course they do have their style, but I wont say Anubis gate are a repetitive band, not at all. And that can be noticed from one song to another, for instance, we can listen to "Facing Down" which has some 80s style prog metal ala Queensryche and then to "World in a Dome" which is an eight-minute track with a powerful beginning, but with some melancholic sound in several passages; here we can listen to a let's say modern metal sound.

Fans of progressive metal will surely like this album, this Danish act has an excellent compositional style, they know how to use their instruments, how to give the diversity of feelings and changes between one song to another, without harming the listener, I mean, they are not drastic changes. You can enjoy heavier songs such as "The Re-Formation Show" or "Telltale Eyes", more melodic and softer ones like "Oh My Precious Life" or "Circumstanced", and even a catchy one like "Golden Days".

I like it but I have my reserves, after several listens it is not an album that really catches my attention, nor make me feel enthusiastic, but well, that is probably because the metal realm is not my favorite, however, as I mentioned if you are a true fan of the genre you will probably like it. My final grade, three stars. Enjoy it!

Report this review (#510325)
Posted Saturday, August 27, 2011 | Review Permalink
J-Man
PROG REVIEWER
4 stars The fifth and most recent album from Denmark's premier progressive metal export is sure to have fans talking quite a bit. Jacob Hansen's departure may seem like a pretty massive blow to some Anubis Gate followers, but rest assured - the music on this self titled effort is every bit as strong as any of us would've expected. As a matter of fact, I'd venture to say that Anubis Gate actually exceeds expectations across the board. Sleek, powerful, and modern melodic progressive metal is the name of the game here, and Anubis Gate delivers this style better than any other current act on the scene. Here's an album that's decidedly catchy, melodic, and easily accessible, yet it still contains enough quirky progressive trademarks to satisfy most of the progheads out there. For my money, Anubis Gate is one of the best melodic progressive power metal albums out there.

Rather than replacing Jacob Hansen with a new vocalist, the band instead decided to bring bassist Henrik Fevre up to the microphone; a very good decision in my opinion. Henrik has a very powerful and commanding pair of pipes in my mind, and his distinct delivery is unique from that of many other prog/power metal vocalists. His tasteful and melodic singing is actually one of my favorite aspects of this album. Musically, we're dealing with very sleek and almost commercial sounding progressive metal. Though melodic and polished prog metal typically doesn't appeal that much to me, Anubis Gate delivers the style with so much class and emotion that it's difficult not to be amazed. Catchy yet intricate tracks like "Hold Back Tomorrow", "World In a Dome", or "Golden Days" are absolute masterpieces of the genre.

In many regards, Anubis Gate reminds me of a more modern version of Fates Warning's Parallels or Queensr˙che's Empire. All three of these albums are fantastic examples of top-notch metal music that is both progressive and intricate, yet still easily accessible and melodic. I could easily see this album being right up the alley of fans of the two aforementioned albums, as well as melodic power metal and traditional progressive metal in general. This is much more polished than many fans of 'raw' progressive metal may enjoy, but any open-minded fan of the genre who can handle a sleek production with polished riffs and melodic song structures should be in for a real treat.

I ended up really being blown away by Anubis Gate, and I have a feeling this album will go on to be remembered as one of 2011's strongest progressive metal albums - surely no small feat when you consider how steep the competition is this year! This is a much more polished and accessible slice of melodic prog metal than some fans of the genre may be expecting, but I think it'll be difficult to not be left at least somewhat impressed by this irresistible observation. 4.5 stars are the least I can hand out to Anubis Gate. Although all eyes may be on Dream Theater, Symphony X, and Arch / Matheos right now, every prog metal fan should make sure not to let this gem slip under their radars.

Report this review (#560925)
Posted Tuesday, November 1, 2011 | Review Permalink
5 stars I rarely feel national pride, but every now and then a Danish band releases an album which makes me proud of being from the same country as them.

And with their latest eponymous album, Anubis Gate have just scored a hat trick with me. I absolutely loved "Andromeda Unchained" and "The Detached", and "Anubis Gate" immediately became a hit with me, too.

The overall sound is lush and melodic and at the same time quite heavy and hard rocking. After Jacob Hansen left the band, bassist Henrik Fevre took over vocal duties, and while he does not deploy the same number of singing techniques, opting for a comfortable midrange voice, he does a very good job of it, and his voice suits the music perfectly - and especially lends itself well to the choral harmonies that often pop up in the choruses on this release.

There is more focus on riffage, I think, on this album than on the previous releases, and the album - while definitely a melodic metal album - contains some of the most aggressive passages I have heard from Anubis Gate, who also bring power metal back into the picture to a greater extent than on their two previous albums. Interestingly, the album is tinged with quite progressive keyboards, but overall the synths seem less prominent than on the two Hansen-fronted albums; still, "Anubis Gate" strikes me as being much more lush.

"Anubis Gate" is a very focused album, but rich in different expressions and moods, and there is a certain dynamicity to the juxtaposition of heavy groovy riff-based passages, mellow clean passages, uptempo passages and more progressive and lush passages. Anubis Gate are good at what Queensr'che used to do: write progressive and different music which was still incredibly accessible and full of hit potential. While musically quite different from Queensr'che, Anubis Gate are still a more than worthy contender for the title of "the new Queensr'che".

Lush, heavy, expressive, progressive and accessible, "Anubis Gate" is definitely one of the strong contenders for the title of progressive metal album of the year, and fans of melodic metal and power metal should definitely check it out.

(review originally posted at metalmusicarchives.com)

Report this review (#561263)
Posted Wednesday, November 2, 2011 | Review Permalink
UMUR
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR
Honorary Collaborator
4 stars "Anubis Gate" is the 5th full-length studio album by Danish progressive/power metal act Anubis Gate. The album was released through Nightmare Records in September 2011. The album sees quite a significant lineup change as lead vocalist Jacob Hansen (Invocator) left the band to concentrate his efforts on his producer job and his Hansen Studios. Hansen was the frontman on both of the critically acclaimed albums "Andromeda Unchained (2007)" and "The Detached (2009)". On this album bassist Henrik Fevre has taken on the vocal duties from Jacob Hansen, making Anubis Gate a four-piece. "Anubis Gate" was recorded at Hansen Studios and Jacob Hansen acts as co-producer and is also credited for mixing/mastering the album, so there´s definitely no bad blood between him and the band as a result of him leaving.

The 10 track, 60:24 minutes long album features intelligent and well written progressive/power metal. It´s very well played and well produced too. Henrik Fevre has a slightly less distinct sounding voice than Jacob Hansen, but he is still a strong vocalist and his singing style and voice suits the band´s music well. Compared to the two precessors "Anubis Gate" features slightly less synths, but the sound is still epic with beautiful anthemic choruses and layered instrumental work. They band succeed in incorporating both progressive, power and harder edged thrashy parts to their music which ultimately make the album a varied listen.

"Anubis Gate" is more or less anything you could ask for from a release in the more polished end of the progressive/power metal genre. It´s simply a top notch product in any way possible and a 4 star (80%) rating is deserved.

Report this review (#746851)
Posted Monday, April 30, 2012 | Review Permalink
5 stars Anubis Gate is a band I have been following since A Perfect Forever and yet I never quite "got" them....until this album. I had always felt like I could almost say I loved them but at the same time didn't really care about them. When I heard this album, something clicked, and I found out I really loved this band. I went back and listened to their other albums after I heard this album, and discovered I had been missing quite a bit. Anubis Gate has a unique style for a Progressive Metal band. I think one of the main ingredients that makes them so unique is their vocal harmonies, where they blend together unusual chord progressions with very full harmonies often containing dissonants to fill out the harmony. On top of this, they layer the instrumentals quite well, crafting a complex tapestry of sound. I have discovered I loved this band through this album, and I hope many others will too.
Report this review (#749717)
Posted Sunday, May 6, 2012 | Review Permalink
4 stars i only got into Anubis Gate quite recently, so i had the unusual opportunity of listening to all their albums almost concurrently.

their latest, simply self-titled, held up very well in comparison to the others. they had quite a notable stylistic change between A Perfect Forever (largely straightforward power metal) and Andromeda Unchained (powerful, progressive and layered). it seems they really liked this new style a lot since its stayed pretty much the same through The Detached to this album. i agree, i love the "new" Anubis Gate and don't much care for their first 2 albums.

though bassist Henrik Fevre takes over on vocals, he has a similar voice and style as Jacob Hansen, the previous vocalist, so this gives us some continuity in this area as well.

on the instruments, these guys have always been technically sound, very capable and quite creative in blending together their signature layers. i like the way they gel and you cant really say that any one instrument stands out as dominant.

star songs: The Re-Formation Show, Desiderio Omnibus, Golden Days, River and Circumstanced.

not so good ones: Oh My Precious Life, Telltale Eyes (i only picked these because i'm always tempted to press "skip" on my player when they start, but that may be only because they fall in between absolutely wonderful songs!)

summary: some bands evolve all the time, experiment with new styles and never realize when they've hit their "signature" style, Anubis Gate seems to have avoided that and stuck to what they do best. so when people criticize them for sounding the same as in their previous albums, i say thats a good thing because they are making some terrific music.

Report this review (#775421)
Posted Thursday, June 21, 2012 | Review Permalink
AtomicCrimsonRush
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR
Honorary Collaborator
4 stars Anubis Gate is described in the promo pack as "metal with beautiful soundscapes" and this is an apt description of their sound. There is a heaviness in the distorted downtuned metal riffing, and a beauty in the crystal clear vocals and ambient keyboards. The opening track 'Hold Back Tomorrow' is a blend of melodic keys and vocals by bassist Henrik Fevre layered over the crunching guitars of Jesper M. Jensen. The melody is uplifting and easy to digest for those who like their metal a bit lighter than some of the darker metal that is being churned out of the machine.

On 'The Re-Formation Show' there is a great odd progressive time sig made of chunky guitar staccato blasts, and the melodic vocals and keys balance out beautifully. I love the harmonies and the interplay of guitar and keys competing against each other. This one also features a wonderful lead break that reverberates against another guitar harmonising perfectly, and as it builds the metal riffs return creating a wall of sound. This is an awesome song well worth checking out to find out what the band are capable of.

'Facing Dawn' has a driving tempo from the percussion work of Morten Sřrensen, and some great riffs over Fevre's pulsing bassline. The time sig is again quirky and chops and changes with tension and release. The harmonised chorus is anthemic and well accomplished. The keyboard solo from Kim Olesen, who also plays guitars, is fabulous, and augments the melodies so well.

'World in a Dome' has a mechanised percussive rhythm that gives it an edge and then some grinding distorted guitars blaze away. It settles into some melodic vocals from Fevre, and eventually a chugging riff locks in. the keys lift up the atmosphere majestically in the chorus along with harmonies. I love the metal precision riffing on this and the way it builds to the instrumental break. The break is very serene keyboards and acoustics at first and gradually leads to an uptempo double kick drumming and another enduring riff to a lead solo. The time sig gets faster at the end, the drumming especially and it caps off an album highlight. The 8:22 song has enough time changes to satiate any prog metal addict.

'Desiderio Omnibus' follows with breakneck speed drums and heavy riffs. It breaks when the verses begin but there is still a relentless speed on this one, sounding as fast as Dragonforce at times. The twin lead break is glorious and the guitars trade off solos like Megadeth or Iron Maiden. It ends with swirling spacey keys and chimes, very atmospheric and ethereal.

'Oh My Precious Life' has a guitar intro with a darker sound embellished with symphonic keys and an off kilter signature. It builds dramatically to the verses, and a crunchy riff. The vocals are crisp as usual and they balance well with the incessant dirty guitar sound. The tempo is measured and steady and tends to break rhythm unexpectantly. The fast speed riff during the lead solo is captivating and a head banger's delight. Then it breaks the sig back to the main tempo to end with a keyboard swirl that stops abruptly.

'Golden Days' has a strong beat that is slow and layered with dramatic outbursts of guitar and keys. The lyrics are about going back to the golden days, "I hunger for success" and "I find myself invisible, collecting golden days, I could be king, I could be anything" perhaps channelling the thoughts of all band members wishing to break out. The lead solo is mixed to the back along a soundscape of keyboards. The vocals are commensurate to the powerful melodies, with Fevre singing "my time has come" like a cry out for the greatness of the past. This is also the type of feeling that might be locked inside the elderly remembering their youth, "it's the final stage I'm in, I see the light that somehow mesmirise".

'Telltale Eyes' is another fast track beginning with a flurry of guitar riffs and electronic effects. The galloping riffs are precise and breakneck speed along a very unusual time sig. This is fantastic music and again the vocals are clean but no less powerful as some of the growling vocals that usually accompanies fast metal. This is more like Helloween or Iron Maiden style vocals but the music is like Dream Theater or Dragonforce. The riffs continue to bludgeon the scape and then a trade off of synths and lead guitar dominate the instrumental break. One of my favourite songs on this album.

'River' has an atmospheric haunting feel and the intro is creepy and mystical. The drums and guitars take over soon with speedy tempos. The synths are dreamy and quite chilling, and this is a dark river that we are journeying down no doubt. The instrumental section works well after all the vocals previously and at less than 4 minutes in length this is a very well structured track. Fevre's vocals come in briefly later and are echoed and distant like the music itself.

'Circumstanced' ends the album with a slower song at first driven by melodic keys and guitars with Fevre singing in a high register and as crystal clear as one can get, not a single shred of growl in his delivery. There are some weird sounds on this track adding to the atmospheres. The melancholy lyrics are about unrequited love; "Everytime I close my eyes I see you coming back to me." Again, the song features some symphonic key pads and odd time changes. The lead break is emotionally charged to augment the sadness of the song where "nothing seems to matter no more". The song lasts for 9:23 running time and switches into a heavier feel at about the 7 minute mark.

In conclusion, Anubis Gate have produced a solid quality album with enough metal to appease headbangers and enough epic prog melodies and time sigs to conciliate proggers. I was very impressed with the blend of metal and prog and especially the vocals. Fevre is an exceptional singer and really shines on this album. "Anubis Gate" is a prog metal release well worth seeking out.

Report this review (#783103)
Posted Saturday, July 7, 2012 | Review Permalink
Warthur
PROG REVIEWER
3 stars The previous Anubis Gate album I'd heard before this one was Andromeda Unchained, and whilst they don't fail to grab my attention on this self-titled album they don't seem to show a substantial development of their sound. It's solid progressive metal with a sound that's based around the Dream Theater model but which incorporates enough classic metal influences to appeal to power metal listeners as well. It's all rather pleasant, but I don't think it's the quantum leap above their previous work that's really called for when you decide to release an eponymous album this late in your career, and I don't think it quite approaches the prog metal top tier in any event.
Report this review (#1148689)
Posted Saturday, March 15, 2014 | Review Permalink
4 stars Anubis Gate play, generally, a kind of slowed down power prog metal, in a dense, industrial soundscape. Luckily, they balance the trippiness with clear vocals and catchy choruses. So end result is sort of plodding but catchy at the same time. They also branch out into different metal subgenres, like more melodic (Circustanced, Golden Days) or more hard-hitting in the vein of Symphony X (Desiderio Omnibus, Telltale Eyes). Wish they'd do some non-metal as well. But I think they are at their most original when doing the industrial, alternatingly heavier/softer prog sort of thing. No wonder the album, unusually, starts with the more trippy songs and ends on more accessible. Overall, I think this is more diverse and accessible than the predecessor, The Detached, and almost reaches the level of their Andromeda Unchained.
Report this review (#1161583)
Posted Tuesday, April 15, 2014 | Review Permalink

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