ANUBIS

Formed in Sydney in 2004. The formation was done by Robert James Moulding (Bass, vocals), and David Eaton (Keyboard, guitar). The band soon later got Douglas Skene (Guitars), Dean Bennison (Guitars), Steven Eaton (Drums), and Nick Antoinette (Bass). In this lineup, they got signed to the indie record label, Bird's Robe Records, where in 2009 they would release their first album, 230503, a concept album based on the passing of a close friend of David and Robert. This first album garnered a bit of success and attracted a good amount of Prog fans who are interested in their more symphonic, darker, and ethereal sound. This success the band garnered allowed them to make another album with similar, yet very different themes from their first effort. This prompted an album that goes through themes of limbo, depression, and the concept of the afterlife centered around a bunch of teens discovering an eleven-year-old ghost girl who died in the 19th century. This album became one of their most breakthrough and critically acclaimed albums to date. Their sophomore release, A Tower of Silence, is their most popular album to date, and it is not hard to see why.

So this album is one big song with 8 movements, similar to stuff like Question Mark by Neal Morse, The Incident by Porcupine Tree, and Colors by Between The Buried and Me. Even though this album is just one big song, I will still be looking at each movement of this suite as its separate songs, with the first one being the 17-minute epic, The Passing Bell. I gotta admit, this album does start with a bang. The beginning synths of this track sets the mood, and when the guitars and drums come in is when the track soars. I think the strongest element this song has is the fact that it's very consistent in sound and quality. Each part of this piece has a very clean sound and style throughout, and one that pays attention to intricate details. I think the best part of this song is the atmosphere of it all. It has this depressing atmosphere to it but in a different sort of way that I do not think any Prog rock band has done before. I think the best way to describe the feeling it has is the feeling of being awake late at night, your sheets slightly off your chest, the air from the window slowly breezing through your curtains, your phone next to you, as you stare at the ceiling, the walls, the cracked door. This song has that exact feeling, or something similar. It is a blue song, but not a deep blue, it is a more pastel yet still darker shade of blue that I think envelopes what this song and album are going for, and it's something that I think is the album's strongest feat.

Leading off of The Passing Bell is the second movement of this work, Archway of Tears. I talked about the aesthetic this album has, so I think I should talk about the instrumentation. For one, I love those guitars. They are so airy and yet so tightly knit. They give off this Pink Floyd vibe, one I think helps this album move forward. I also have to talk about the drumming, because it is well done. They are so well-rounded, with each beat being crisp in sound and quality. The strongest element this album has is the instrumentation. I can tell they had fun composing this. It doesn't sound too flashy and big, but the level of detail and quality let it stand on its own two feet.

I can say the same for This Final Resting Place, but this time more so in the keyboards. I just love the sci-fi vibe they give off, they just feel so well made as they smoothly flow throughout the track seamlessly. This isn't even the best part of the song, it's that guitar solo passed the halfway point. I adore how it feels so energetic and lively, yet still, stays true to the more ethereal delivery this album goes for. I think Anubis excels in sticking to a style and trying new things with that style. They are eclectic in their approach and new tactics, but they keep their aesthetic alive by making these new tactics their own.

With that, I think it should be a given I would like the next track on here, the title track. Well actually, I do not like it at all, no, I love it. The tracks before this expertly laid the red carpet down, so this song could walk on it. The vibes, the amazing guitars and drums, the keyboards, and the singing. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention the singing. Honestly, it's just great. I love how the vocals just heighten everything a bit more, which I think is important for this style of Prog. As I said before, this track contains some of the best of what the band has to offer. It's airy, it's aesthetically pleasing, it's beautiful. It is the masterpiece song on this album, and I think I think that is a fair thing to call it. It's a masterpiece and one that made me fall in love with this band, so kudos to them.

Now after this point the album starts to dip a little bit. After the title track, everything doesn't take a left turn per se, but the tracks afterward do not hold the same cut as the first four did. Weeping Willow, to start, is honestly a cool- sounding track. The use of more acoustic instruments and an emphasis on vocals help this song stand out on its own. However, it is the shortest track on here, being 2 minutes long. I am not saying shorter tracks are bad, but I wanted more out of this song, so I was a little discouraged when it felt like it was going somewhere really good. It is probably the weakest track for that exact reason.

Things get better with And I Wait For My World To End. It goes back to that groove and vibes the album had with the first 4 tracks. The guitars, the vocals, the keyboards, the drums. Everything is on point, and it helps this song in the long run. It also has a little more stuff added to it. You can tell, on the production side of things, that they were experimenting in the studio to find something new to work with, which is very appreciated. A good step up from the last track.

Things get way better with The Holy Innocent. The experimentation is pretty high in this song all around. Not like experimentation where it's all crazy and intense, but you can pick up some new additions, like a saxophone. Honestly, a saxophone works for this sound oddly enough. It is like the sax in Money by Pink Floyd, except if they utilized that to something like Echoes, or Comfortably Numb instead. Horns sometimes make genres better. It carries a very similar weight that The Passing Bell did, where it is this big and grand track that explores what the band can do. It is a great track, and I think helps the second half of the album nicely.

Leading off with that is the final track, All That Is. I think the album does end with a positive note. The drive and the whole rewarding feeling this song has lets this giant epic be as strong as it is. I do not have much to say about this track sadly because I think I have said what I needed to say with tracks before this one, and so I do not want to sound like a broken record. I think this is an excellent closure to this album, and one I can appreciate.

This album is a treat. It has pure vibes through and through. Everything from the sound, to the instrumentation, to the vocals, to the concept, all are fantastic. While I do admit this album has a bit of a problem where the second half sort of dips a bit in terms of full enjoyment, I still think this album is highly worth listening to. It is a modern Neo Prog great for many reasons, and one I think any Prog fan can enjoy. Recommend checking it out.

Yes, this band is still rooted in the world of neo-prog, the symphonic prog offshoot that began some forty years ago when prog was licking its wounds and slowly making a comeback but the resilient style has been amazingly adaptive in adopting new elements and while many progressive rock bands these days opt to dwell on retro this and retro that, others like ANUBIS aren't afraid to do a little exploration. Excluding 2018's "Different Stories" which was sort of a reprise of older material set to acoustic form, ANUBIS hadn't been heard of since 2017's "Second Hand" but returned in 2020 with its sixth overall studio album HOMELESS. As the title suggests and by the nature of neo-prog itself, the album is based on worldly perceptions set to emotive compositions and HOMELESS reflects the years 2020 and all the changes and challenges that occurred.

Like much of neo-prog HOMELESS offers vague concepts set to music in which the listener has a bit of wiggle room in how to interpret but paints a rather certain picture of some person's perspective in this case undergoing a traumatic worldly series of experiences. Being based in Australia, the album covers the horrible fires that have swept that nation in recent years with 2020 being one of the worst. The overall emotional delivery seems to stem from helplessness and the inability find sure footing in a world gone mad. The album perfectly crafts the perfect sonic palette to display these fist of insecurity upon and the band has never sounded better. Robert James Moulding has lost none of his perfect vocal style that suits this genre of prog so well and the drumming prowess of Steve Eaton continues to expand the percussive possibilities of punctuating the melodic emotive tugs of the synth-laden hooks laced with guitar and bass accompaniments.

ANUBIS has always offered more tones and timbres than the average neo-prog bands having incorporated everything from sitars and glockenspiels on previous works and on HOMELESS the band offers lots of slide guitars, melodica, a Spanish laud as well as a clarinet. While other prominent neo-prog bands nurtured their hard rock guitar heft incrementally through the 21st century before dropping it just as they were perched to cross the metal music threshold, ANUBIS has retained a bit of guitar and bass heft although have never been even close to the distortion-rich angst of the metal world. While the heavier rock guitar power chords are ritualized throughout this albums nine tracks, the chord progressions and use of clever syncopations, contrapuntal effects and just damn good songwriting techniques guarantees a diverse and energetic delivery system of the 41-minute running time.

Only the opening reflective which exceeds the 7-minute mark is really of any substantial length. Most of the tracks on HOMELESS are much shorter ranging from the three to five mark however none of the band's progressive qualities have been affected in the least. On the contrary i would say HOMELESS is probably a bit more proggy than previous efforts. Neo-prog has always existed on the pop side of the prog world and mostly considered proggy for teasing out pop hooks into sprawling compositions but HOMELESS takes a different approach by adding lots of proggy time signatures and jazz influences into shorter tracks. There are no thruways on this as each song shines like the shiny foil on the album cover. With the last album "Different Stories" i was beginning to worry that ANUBIS had run out of steam but it's clear with HOMELESS that the band is in no danger of exhaustive its ability to crank out a new take of its unique brand of neo-prog. Another winner in my book.

They do mention mellotron but it's samples, not the real thing but still I like the sound as they create a lot of atmosphere with it and the synths especially. This is a consistent album, in fact it's almost impossible for me to pick a top three. This is a great headphone album, especially for those who are into stories. There are 12 guests all adding vocals or spoken words. Neo-Prog fans probably already know about these Aussies but if not check out their discography please.

Nah, after taking several re-runs during recent weeks, this impression has completely vanished for good. In common sense 'Homeless' is dealing with perceptions of the contemporary world. Enough food for thought, isn't it? The prospering opener Reflection will set a first exclamation mark. Well, starting innocent somehow, though soon evolving into a perfect synthesis of hauting melody and multi-variant execution. Moulding's singing voice appears in best shape ultimately, excellent guitar presence on top. Can We Find Our Way Back Home? Of course the album title track nails down another centerpiece, the drumming strikes, it sounds completely rounded.

Equipped with an unusual finale Sirens really takes off, immediately followed by the nice ballad In Shadows. ANUBIS are serving emotive catchy melodies and a lush instrumentation throughout, that's guaranteed. When it comes to me 'Homeless' can't start the same fire as it happened with the previous studio effort. Nevertheless the ANUBIS crew is convincing again with a charming and entertaining flow all the way through. No filler. Songs are even faded out here and there, which opens some perspective when it comes to the following live events. Definitely a recommended addition to your prog music collection, if you're underway on melodic rock paths.

Also included is a previously unpublished song called Technicolour Afterlife. Which was to be the title track of there debut album, which was released as 230503. It's the final page of that particular story which was shelved back in 2005. It's nice to finally show it the light of day. Different Stories should not be missed for fans of their music.

Excellent addition to any prog rock music collection

While keyboards are still present they are used sparingly with none providing atmospheric backdrops but rather serve more as piano and organ runs. The acoustic guitar adds a whole new dimension however a few scant electric guitar licks are inserted here and there. As a whole the new stripped down style sounds like an entirely new band covering ANUBIS songs! In fact Robert James Moulding's vocals remind me of Thom Yorke from Radiohead for the much of the time. While hardcore proggers may not be into this, surely diehard fans will at least appreciate the effort the band undertook to make this sound warm and inviting. The production is perfectly mixed as to allow all the instruments to melt into a potpourri of acoustic love as the band parades down familiar territory but changes tempos and rhythmic developments as to adapt them to the acoustic realms.

While the individual tracks are all performed exquisitely, one issue stems from the album's continuity as ANUBIS is a band that strives to make their music a full album experience and in the process the various tracks from four separate albums don't always work together as harmoniously as they would in their original context but if taken as a unique form of releasing a greatest hits album then it's not really that bad actually, just don't expect the overall effect to match the real enchiladas. The album starts off great with the band's anthemic "The Passing Bell" which struts its proggy stuff through its 13 minute run without losing any of its mojo by having been stripped down but by the time the album reaches the middle "Dead Trees" the stripped down sound begins to sound a little hollow as ANUBIS are all about a superb keyboard rich production since the keys are a major source of their diverse sound approach.

The only new track "Technicolour Afterlife" doesn't deviate from the formula but indeed is an acoustic rock track however with less prog influences and almost as mainstream as some of Supertramp's late 70s acoustic guitar songs (only not as good). Overall DIFFERENT STORIES is a decent slab of acoustic reinterpretations from one of my favorite neo-prog bands of the new millennium but in the end this is a rather supplemental feeling release as opposed to the high quality output of their first four albums and the one and only unreleased track isn't really that great, i can't in my right mind recommend this as an essential offering for ANUBIS fans but is by no means a bad album if the stylistic approach presented is something that sounds appealing. This would be perfect for MTV's Prog Unplugged hour if such a show existed!

From 250503: The Deepest Wound, Leaving Here Tonight From A TOWER OF SILENCE: The Passing Bell, The Holy Innocent From HITCHHIKING TO BYZANTUM: Title track, Dead Trees From THE SECOND HAND: Fool's Gold Previously unreleased track: Tehnicolour Afterlife

3.5 rounded down

It's all here, the tortured vocals, the dreamy sequences, the soaring leads, the metallic riffs, and the sprawling epics, but playing like a short of breath narrative. From the opening notes, it beckoned to me, reminding me of a heavier CLEPSYDRA, and the brief acoustic bridge to "Leaving Here Tonight" seals the blueprints to an album that really gets transitions. While I may have been ambivalent or even hostile towards numbers like "The Bond of Mutual Distrust", I eventually succumbed to the loftier ambitions. The alternating floating and percussive segment before the end of this thrasher make the final convulsions all the more memorable. I had no such misgivings about "Flying/Falling" and "The Collapse", both of which encapsulate all that works here and throughout, including that elusive optimal mix of sung and instrumental passages, from keyboard soaked atmospherics to enchanting variations on vocal melodies.

An album may be, and usually is, a mere a collection of tracks that we listen to and shelve, or it may harmonize our own experience within its grooves. "230503" belongs firmly in the latter division, with a rare gift to offer only those who surrender to it.

First, the subpar production makes this album too noisy and sometimes even unpleasant to hear. The mix of the guitars is too loud, and so are the vocals. And that's maybe not so bad, but the problem is that the vocals are just lame. And the mixing of the album gives an absurd relevance to them... Hard to understand.

The rest of the band makes a good work, specially the competent keyboards, some interesting bass playing and the usually fantastic guitar solos.

But talking about the music comes the second big problem apart from the production. Here we encounter the typical 90's and 00's neo-prog with influences from Pendragon, Arena and similar bands and sometimes the band is able achieve to reach some originality and fine ideas like in Waterfall and The Collapse but mostly is just average neo-prog with bad vocals. And even worse are some experiments like the jazzy and really bad The Doctor and the boring instrumental Anonymity.

In conclusion, the debut of Anubis is average prog with lame vocals and some good ideas in my opinion, wasted by a subpar production and some really boring songs, making this album a mixed experience between the worst and the best of neo-prog.

Best Tracks: Waterfall (great bass line at 01:00 and a good guitar solo), The Collapse (another great guitar solo and a very interesting instrumental section at 04:18) and Disinfected and Abused (not a great epic, but a worthy effort)

My rating: **

New to the band is bassist Anthony Stewart who takes over the position that lead vocalist Robert Moulding handled on the previous album thus upping the band roster up to six but once again there are many guest appearances that include three singing vocalists as well as a whole bunch of guest spoken word vocalists. Once again ANUBIS deliver the neo-prog goods with nine cleverly crafted tracks that take their time to let the thematic journey unfold with their brilliant lyrical prose coupled with the musical passages that utilize addictively catchy hooks that are all teased out with the appropriate dynamic shifts and intensity battles between soft and contemplative to more rockin' moments of ecstasy. The band seem to have gotten a new sense of confidence as they are tighter than ever with impeccable tightness and Robert Moulding sounds as if he's on the top of his game with some of the most confident vocal performances of his career.

One of the unique aspects of THE SECOND HAND is that the 3-part multi-suite and "These Changing Seasons" serves more as transitions that appear between other tracks and do not occur in the expected linear fashion. The two behemoth tracks on board are the near ten minute "While Rome Burns" and the near seventeen minute "Pages Of Stone," each unleashing ANUBIS' full potential that shows them more following in the footsteps of their first two albums rather than the third but still manage to create enough stylistic shifts as not to sound like they are merely retreading although let's face it. This is a formulaic neo-prog sound that fails to tread new grounds and unapologetically relies on the the tried and true formulaic approach that utilizes the steady flow of soft and heavy passages with instrumental workouts centered on Moulding's vocal deliveries. However, when it's done this well, no innovating experiments need apply.

THE SECOND HAND may come off as just another neo-prog album in the greater scheme of things but it is performed beautifully and with Moulding delivering his most diverse vocal performances of his career, it all comes together beautifully with spacey Pink Floyd atmospheric touches swirling around gentle acoustic guitar, extraordinary drumming and the modern day neo-prog trend of heavy rock guitar outbursts. As with all these sorts of albums, you really don't have to focus on the theme at all but rather can simply enjoy the music as it goes through the many strong compositions that balance all the elements superbly. While it may not deviate significantly from previous albums, something about THE SECOND HAND gives it a unique flavor albeit subtle but most importantly is that the album is rather consistent in that no weak filler track permeates the inner circles therefore no derailment of enjoyment occurs. Another strong release in the ANUBIS canon.

Once again the same cast members which includes the five main musicians and a few guest vocalists and a wind player find a way to weave a conceptual theme into a single album clocking in well over an hour's length playing time. While the first two albums took the same approach with an overarching concept carrying the lyrics and music along for the ride, HITCHHIKING TO BYZANTIUM treads new ground in many ways without sacrificing the same catchy grooves augmented by acoustic dreamy passages, synth-heavy atmospheres and passionately delivered vocal narrations.

Abandoning the storyline concept, HITCHHIKING TO BYZANTIUM (an ancient Greek colony that later became Constantinople and even later Istanbul) takes the approach where each band member contributed lyrics based on personal concepts of their life's journey and conjures up all the emotional maelstroms and occasional successes that cover the entire human experience spectrum, thus the dominate role of lead vocalist Robert James Moulding and keyboardist David Eaton contributing as the main creators of content has been replaced by a more democratic show-and-tell session in musical format.

Like most albums tucked away in the sub-genre, ANUBIS relies heavily on the lyrical content which dictates the musical direction which takes on various styles ranging from Pink Floyd inspired space rock to heavy King Crimson-esque amplified rock guitar as well as the by now well tested neo-prog stomping grounds that include thick layers of synthesized atmospheric backdrops that allow the musical edifices to shapeshift from one emotional phase to another. While not as all encompassing as the first two concept albums, neither does the lack of unity detract substantially from an overall musical feel across the album's running time which includes several lengthy pieces with the longest emerging with the near sixteen minute "A Room With A View."

While upon first listen, it may seem that ANUBIS has fallen into the business-as-usual rut that many bands do with the expected neo-prog attributes following suit, but a more attentive listen will yield more surprises than just a quickie one-off listening session. Guitarist Douglas Skene admits to forcing himself to explore new musical arenas and therefore songs are written in a variety of different keys and playing styles in order to bring out new dimensions in Moulding's vocals which when compared to first two albums does ring true with tracks like "Tightening The Screws" sounding nothing like the band's previous efforts. In fact Moulding's fragile vocal approach sounds somewhat like the Norwegian band Leprous in their most tender and subdued moments.

With the stunning achievement of the first two album's ANUBIS clearly ran the risk of running away from their established band sound too far, too fast but while i'm the first to admit that HITCHHIKING TO BYZANTIUM does not usurp the one / two punch of the duo masterpiece set that preceded or even live up to them, neither does it find the band teetering off into irrelevancy. HITCHHIKING achieves exactly what any good neo-prog album of the 21st century should, namely long well thought out composition that connect lyrical content with catchy pop oriented hooks stretched out into progressive complexities