ANUBIS

The guitars kick in with one of the catchier 7/8 riffs I've ever heard. It never seems to outstay its welcome, even though it is used extensively throughout the 17 minute opener. One of the great strengths of "The Passing Bell" is how a number of different riffs and time signatures (4/4 and 5/4 are also thrown in) are all tied together so eloquently. Not only this, but we're treated to a number of emotions as new phases come and go. It's really a masterful piece of songwriting and execution and an audacious way to kick off the album.

That flow and sense of cohesion is still apparent as track two, "Archway of Tears" follows. As the harpsichord begins it almost feels as though we're still within the first track. As the other instruments join in, the bass takes centre stage. It's one of many great moments provided by bassist Nick Antoinette, who is amazing across the whole album.

The title track "A Tower of Silence" is also a highlight. There's more gorgeous piano from David Eaton in the intro, and vocalist Robert James Moulding is at his best here with a heartfelt, measured delivery.

"All That Is" closes out the album with another epic. The interplay of the rhythm section with the keyboards is at times mesmerizing. There's some great Gilmour-esque guitar to close out the album and, to ensure the hairs on the back of the neck are fully erect, a choir ensemble to add the finishing touches.

It would be remiss of me not to mention the drumming of Steve Eaton. It's consistently great across the album, and I love the slightly reverb-y production that has been used on the kit. It suits the album perfectly.

Aside from the music, the album cover is spectacular. It instantly sets an exquisite mood for the album and works as the perfect visual companion. Kudos to the photographer and art director in charge of that piece of work.

Overall a highly recommended album from one of Australia's most talented outfits.

4.5 stars rounded up to 5.

The typical disk you hear a few times and leave it, hear it again and gradually you discover that it is a rare piece, different, captivating. Admirable and compelling from the musical and emotional standpoint.

When conjugated emotion, melody and progressive musical ability, achieved a masterpiece like this.

The lyrics are intimate and on a spiritual quest, masterfully expressed. Regardless of creed, everyone is looking for answers, the meaning of life.

In the first issue, The Passing Bell, 11 energetic opening minutes, then the song turns into a prayer that begins with a piano that thickens with the rest of the instruments. Amazing! Super guitar work, and throughout the album.

This Final Resting Place, Tower of Silence and And I Wait For My World To End with its outstanding chorus, and masterful instrumental passages, smooth and powerful. The Holy Innocent is a rumble of energy, full of nostalgia.

All That Is ends with some pessimism, and little illusion. In another display of controlled force towards the end.

All musicians make a great contribution, the voice is also appropriate, with a distinctive intonation.

In short, no waste. To Discover and enjoy.

I am a newbie and have been reviewing my favorites of the past mostly. So I thought I would come up to speed (sort of) and review this album which was recommended to me by Infocat in his response to my newbie introduction in the Forum. I have been listening to it for the past week and it is delightful, even though the concept of the album may not be so. It first sounded in a spiritual nature, but after further listens and reading reviews, it is about a mental patient but is uplifting

The first track, The Passing Bell, is the epic which starts out with sort of a Eloy sounding guitar (with much better vocals), but eventually gets to a Floydian sound in nature and ends in a majestic marching feel. Excellent.

The rest of the album is very good with various moods brought out in melodies that can stick in your head (in a good way). You can hear elements of Floyd, early Genesis, a little Beatles, as well as their own sound. It is filled with nice, deep moog sounds and ends in another majestic, beauitful tune (All That Is) that is full of driving moods and good vocal harmonies.

Having only listened to it a week, I give it 4.5 stars but will hold off to a 4 while I listen to it more.

PS-I would not have learned about this band if I had not joined PA and this been recommended. So join up if you are on the outside looking in.

AEProgman

Anubis have a commanding sound with swathes of synths and electrifying guitars. Hailing from Australia, not renowned for its prog output, the band fly the flag with admirable virtuosity proving that excellent prog does not necessarily have to come from UK, USA, Italy or other far off places. The music deviates from spell binding synth soaked ambience to heavy crunching guitars. At times there are complex time signatures and at other times the melody dominates with a simple chord progression. Anubis create soundscapes of poignant themes and glorious lengthy instrumental breaks. There is a tension of light and dark with shades of light and dark using a variation of styles that range from symphonic to Neo Prog. The actual concept according to the band's website is based on the "Earthbound spirit of an 11 year old pauper's daughter, lost within the walls of the Victorian poor asylum in which she lived and died, and how she became trapped there" and is now in limbo crying out for release. Interestingly enough I never interpreted it as such but it certainly holds interest as a compelling tale of someone attempting to escape entrapment. The tale is akin to Edgar Allan Poe's 'The Cask of Amontillado' where the villain entombs his nemesis in stone walls brick by brick in a tower, thus silencing his jibes once and for all. The album cover depicts an object trapped in time, a stop watch floats in an orb discarded on a desolate landscape. The vibrant blue is a striking design evoking pure images on a crystalline palette. The gatefold has a vibrant design of sparks trailing to a darkened sky. The booklet is adorned with a closeup of the clock, and inside are the lyrics. The CD also has an enigmatic clock design tying in with the theme of time standing still.

'The Passing Bell' is such a majestic piece of music, a 17 minute epic, wiith magnificent structures, odd time sigs, and organic flowing music encompassing many emotional resonances. I particularly like the way the song shifts into several pentatonic sigs, notably the guitar riff. The searing lead break over shimmering Hammond and pounding drums of war round off the dramatic epic feel. Pink Floyd springs to mind at times in terms of style. The vocals are replete with questions to invoke consideration; "Where is he who can't be found, where is she who calls me fear, who are you to call me here." The ambience of sustained keys and spacey effects is a mesmirising soundscape that will pervade throughout the album. There is a sudden sig change and intense vocals; "I'm feeling no connection to those who cage me here, I'm feeling no protection from the words I hear." The earthbound spirit is now calling out for redemption from the corruptible but immortal state, reaching out an unlineal hand as it were to no avail. A bell tolls with sweet synth tones leading to the next section. Ambience permeates the atmosphere, as gentle piano continues to the next verse; "I wish I could stay by your side again." The concept of searching for spiritual enlightenment appears to be the main focus, but once one knows the main premise it is actually the cries of a spirit who desires the things once enjoyed; "I wish I could pray again". She may have lost faith due to the terrible things she has had to endure, but she is searching for assurance that what she once believed is the truth; the things we may take for granted are now foremost on her mind as she is helpless to sense and to touch and to feel, well at least that is my take on it. The drums and vocals at the end are portentous of impending doom, or it could be a gateway to a new enlightenment. This is perhaps the best song on the album with some of the most inspired riffing and expressive playing by all concerned and especially the expressive vocals of Robert James Moulding.

This moves seamlessly into 'Archway of Tears' with delightful acoustic twin work virtuoso musicianship of Douglas Skene and Dean Bennison. The lyrics continue the darker themes; "evil woman with dark stare, said I was the cause of this, I lay upon the covered floor, as the tears stream down my face, I shiver from the cold night's breath, whispering my name". The vocals are clear and have a passionate and vibrant tone. This song is more like the Neo Prog of Pendragon, IQ or Arena. The acoustic phrases and mellotrons work beautifully with each other. The echoes of heavy steps at the end are foreboding perhaps signifying someone leaving the archway, escaping the tragedy that has befallen them metaphorically.

The melody is strong with 'This Final Resting Place' and I am particularly taken with the everpresent sparkling organ played by David Eaton. It is a dynamic sound from Anubis that is generated using layered multi tracking and very powerful keyboards and guitar. The glockenspiel is a nice touch and this song is one of the more reflective tracks about death. 'A Tower of Silence' is a slow melancholy piece with some potent lyrics about the tragedy of death and the spirit looks out of her silent tower envying the living humans; "lives that change, feel so light, bright, white". The lead guitar builds into the instrumental over some gorgeous organ and the percussion embellishments of Moulding. The song changes with acoustic picking and synth layers. The lyrics may be interpreted as dealing with grief and how time heals the pain; "in time you'll see, no time to grieve." The lead break that follows is vibrant with high string bends and strong sustain. The musicianship enhances the mood of sadness and reflections of a spirit who is trapped in a sepulchral tomb not able to experience the human senses; "I cannot see, I cannot breathe, I cannot feel my love." A simply haunting song that grows on you with every listen.

'Weeping Silence' is a shorter song that has beautiful music and soft harmonies; "who would bring me to this place and never show their face, they beat me to believe and push me on my knees." This track has a nice melody especially when the vocals sing; "I remain alone and faithful misguided by angels." The thunder and storm effects lead to the ominous drone of 'And I Wait for my World to End'. A spacey sound is punctuated by driving lead guitar riffage and a pulsing bassline by Nick Antoinette. The time sig is odd and especially the percussion sparks with vitality. The melody is memorable and it has a fantastic bridge with heavy distortion and Moulding's vocals sound like Roger Waters at his most manic. The ascending chord changes have a dark feel as it builds to an outbreak of more grinding organ leading to the chorus.

'The Holy Innocent' is a measured metrical shift with a steady rhythm. The lyrics are the protagonist crying out, desperately pleading; "I want to hear your voice calling out my name, with your words I'm paralysed, I need to hear them all the same." The piano motif is lovely and imposing lead guitar swells create an atmosphere of melancholia. The music sounds like Porcupine Tree or the style of IQ in places. The protagonist declares; "I live inside this cage." Escape seems impossible and it appears that she is eternally entombed; "And this dream I dream it has no sound as I lay still beneath the ground." The song ends with an incredible saxophone solo, as good as Dick Parry or Jaxon. It really lifts the music to another level and, as icing on the cake, makes this one of the classic songs on the album that should be heard by anyone who enjoys virtuoso prog. The way the song fades out with scorching sax and keyboard pads is similar to Pink Floyd's 'Money'. The clock ticking further cements this impression of sounding like "Dark Side of the Moon" in places.

A tolling piano note opens 'All That Is', a three part multi movement suite. It features in the first section 'Light of Change' mellotron dominating until heavier guitar riffs come in, and sporadic drumming. The verses include chiming keys, aggressive drums and reflective vocals; "I scale these walls that I can't see, they make no sound, they whisper to me, rescue me, from within". The way the quivering Hammond organ sound grinds in always is an effective augmentation, and there is a dreamy synth passage leading to the second section, 'The Limbo of Infants'. The cadence picks up, and the vocals are more urgent; "you and I will never know we lost that chance some time ago." Another lead break resounds with spacey textures and we are into the last section with 'Endless Opportunity'. There are choral intonations and the layered music fades out as the choral section is mixed to the front. At this point we can hear the harmonies, soaring and spiritually edifying. It sounds as if the angels have arrived and finally released the entombed spirit, well I like a happy ending so I am sticking to that.

At the end of the album there is a lasting impression that we have heard some accomplished musicianship with powerful conceptual themes. There are parts of this album that feature incredibly proficient musicianship. It washes over the listener evoking reflective thoughts and spiritual guidance. The lyrics focus on finding answers and are typically obscure enough for one to make up their own minds as to what the themes are conveying. It is certainly one of the better Neo prog albums with strong symphonic nuances throughout, especially coming from Australia, and I am so glad I was priveliged to hear such a wonderful concept album from Anubis.

This is not neo-prog. This is pure Symphonic. Perhaps with a slightly harder edge than classic Symph, but no more-so than, say, Discipline. And really, it's probably just my imagination that some think there can be no "heavy" in Symphonic Prog. Plus honestly, it's not all that heavy, other than an occasional "guitar shred".

The bass on this album: So amazing! Some songs even have what I would call "lead bass"; or at least its the driving force of that particular section. This is something missing in many bands, where the bass is "just there".

Vocals: Wonderful! From what I can tell they have a "lead vocalist", sometimes a co-lead vocalist (the keyboard player/co-lyricist). He may sing occasional lead as well. Either that or the lead vocalist simply has a lot of different sounds! Either way, brilliant. All of the other band members are also credited (last) with vocals as well. So there are lots of lovely vocals here.

Keyboards: Lots of lovely mellotron, and some beautiful piano as well. Not much in the way of keyboard solos, but that's fine. All keyboard sounds are the classics; no lame 80s or 90s style synth patches here.

Drums: Nice. Nothing stands out as of yet, but that's perhaps because everything else is so wonderful I haven't had time to concentrate on them.

Guitars: As I've said, some great guitar here. Occasionally "heavy" but never metal. Some modern bands seem to think they always need metal in their guitar. Anubis proves this is not the case. Not that I don't like metal; I just don't think it's a requirement for being heavy or emotional. No fewer than four members are credited with guitar on this album. Two primary guitarists, along with the vocalist (someone needs to fix this on the PA credits) and the keyboard player. Can't say I ever hear more than two at a time, but hey.

Now for the lyrics. I generally don't care too much about the lyrics. As long as the singing is good, and the music is great, what more do you need? But I absolutely love these lyrics! According to their myspace page they tell the story of "...the Earthbound spirit of an 11 year old pauper's daughter, lost within the walls of the Victorian poor asylum in which she lived and died, and how she became trapped there". Before I read that I honestly thought it was a story about someones loss of religious faith and his arguments with God. Wonderful stuff, in any case!

Each song is 4.5 - 5 stars. I really can't choose a favorite, as each is wonderful, and each has its own distinct charm.

I got this too late (ordered in late December; received into January) to put it on my top picks of 2011, but here it is. Perhaps my favorite of 2011, in fact!

I will be buying their debut soon, and look forward to what they have to offer in the future!

(Yes, I am a fan of the exclamation point.)

This album is definitely one of my Favourites for the year along with Haken. I cant wait for a chance to see these guys live and to also check out their previous release '230503'. If you have not had a chance to listen to 'A Tower of Silence' then do yourself a favour and grab a copy. You will not be disappointed.

Cheers

On the stupendous "Archway of Tears" the gentle and the symphonic coalesce nicely, surprised by a series of short harpsichord grooves and then exploding into a fabulous bass led thunder streak, slicing guitar slashes and impassioned vocals coming to the fore. Rumbling organ and massed chorus add even more drama and a sense of a wow factor finally appears over the horizon. The crafty guitar solo screeches like a sharper Allen Holdsworth mixed in with some Jan Akkerman, so much for ripping the same guy off (poor Dave, he must be tired of suing them all for plagiarism) .

"This Final Resting Place" revs up the engine to a sizzling level, though the sound is very Neo at this point, one would venture Pendragon or even Credo, which is no slander whatsoever.. The colossal guitar duel finishes off the track nicely, aided by glockenspiel and smooth atmospherics along the way.

The title track"A Tower of Silence" is a melancholic recall of past prog leaders (Beatles, Genesis, Marillion, Queen, Fish etc?), the vocal sections evolve constantly, each a progression from the previous with elevated melodies and delivery. The band shows of its chops as well with some spirited team playing, where all instruments enter the fray in controlled cacophony. Since all members can sing, the choir work here is really to drool over as well, some well-placed flute adding to the charm. The string work ain't too shabby either, dual guitars wailing above the 4 string fortress. This track resembles something Quebec prog group Mystery would propose on one of its albums, complete with a wicked guitar solo that aims for the stars and succeeds effortlessly.

"Weeping Willow" is nice and brief, nothing more, nothing less. A rest before the whirlwind dervish "And I Wait for my World to End" , a similar rough jewel to "Archway of Tears" with insistent bass and spellbinding guitar carving the sweeping symphonics into wide swaths of bliss, the sad lyrics highlighted by somber singing. The darkness turns into rage and the vocalist really nails it, like on Credo's magnificent "The Letter", another fantastically dynamic track.

Two 11 minute+ epics draw to a close a rather sweltering audition and both are fabulous, the dreamy and Arena-like "The Holy Innocent" barrels ahead, guitar-powered and explosive at the outset and then evolves into a magnificent sax-led blowout , heavy on the mellotron (those two always get along but so rarely on records, darn it !) . Wow again!

The 3 part "All That Is" sets the sun with unadorned splendor, soft and hard meshing thrillingly, burly bass smashing forward leading the rest, rash slashes of guitar, ardent H�´sanna Hammonds and defiant drumming. This is really tasty when the soothing synth solo takes the stage, courtesy of David Eaton, a masterstroke of utter genius. Vocalist Robert James Moulding does a superb performance that is worthy of applause. The guitars stoke once again the fiery bonfire, mellotrons ablaze towards a majestic chorale finale that is mesmerizing. Hello Oz!.

So I need not to appeal this review, as I am now convinced that future auditions will only INCREASE the level of pleasure derived from its grooves. As I mentioned earlier, if you enjoy Mystery's last 2 albums (Beneath the Veil of Winter's Face and One Among the Living), you will really dig this remarkable recording.

4.5 Egyptian gods simply because , it's a definite grower that stipulates repeated returns , which will end up eventually at 5 stars.