EXTINCTION LEVEL

It is not a surprise that I start a review of a Markus Reuter project saying an affirmation like that, since he is an amazing creative mind who always gathers with some other extraordinary musicians, artists, humans (or non- humans?). Well, this new Anchor and Burder record takes us into a new journey where there are no boundaries, I mean, Reuter along with Alexander Dowerk, Bernhard Wöstheinrich and Asaf Sirkis create endless sounds, atmospheres and images, which are spread through a musical and emotional trip that invites us to leave our current self and morph into another level of consciousness.

In this 6-track album we will find 66 minutes of dark and somber episodes, raw guitars, heavy passages that are constantly contrasted by soft and peaceful keyboard atmospheres or dreamy and cinematic moods. 'Fractured Self' opens the album and it hits you by surprise, I mean, it has some calm moments but all of a sudden Sirkis hits its drums hard and then Crimsonian strings enter to generate some tension. Moments of uncertainty are felt vividly. Then we can find some kind of Larks Tongues in Aspic references, the two Touch Guitar players intercalate to create a richness of sounds in a raw and acid way, wonderfully accompanied by heavy drums, and amazingly contrasted by spacey keyboard atmospheres.

There are some seconds of quiet and rest, but then the band punches you hard with 'Body Expansion', its introduction is heavy, then they develop different passages where a rollercoaster of emotions can be felt. Is it lunacy? Is it incredulity? You might ask yourself some questions while listening to this quite interesting, however, not easy journey to dig, because sometimes the harmony vanishes, there are some pauses, some shortcuts, but later they hit you again. Later the rhythm changes, drums create a 4/4 base that sounds a bit scary, while strings create those raw and addictive sounds that we might relate with those King Crimson improvs we know. While we are still in awe with the previous sounds, they change a bit and create a much calmer sound, however, the dark atmosphere prevails. The last part of this track is great, with some guitar solos that sound crazy, with a slower (at first) drum rhythm that little by little become ferocious and takes over the journey.

The power reigns when 'Mutual Assured Destruction' starts, I think the title is literal haha since the sounds are capable of destroying our comfort and make us feel new sensations. The musicians and their instruments create a conversation, but then all hail chaos so an explosive and abrasive episode hits us heavily. What I love is that despite chaos, we can perceive where the musicians come from, I mean, Sirkis creates amazing jazzy skills and sounds, Reuter and Dowerk generate proggy and even metal-like riffs and sounds, while Wöstheinrich always keep those cosmic and spacey atmospheres. Love this track.

'Nine Gates to Dominion' continues like a seesaw, with brief calm seconds that open the gates to countless micro- explosions. I love how the musicians understand each other and all together create that chaos in a majestic way. When you think the song will change its structure, they comeback to hit you as heavy as they can, loud and clear, sometimes disturbing, but mostly exciting.

There is an epic named 'Extinction Level', whose 18 minutes might work as metaphors of how we as humans, or our Earth, or our science, are always changing, morphing into new states of consciousness, new eras. It is a long road full of potholes, of contradictions, of never-ending surprises. Musically they gather here all the elements I have mentioned before, so this sole track could be a perfect example of what Anchor and Burden is about, at least in this album. While we embrace constant change, we progress, and I believe this also works for them.

The album finishes with 'The Crust of This Earth', whose use of soundscapes and electronics is amazing. The song has a rich diversity of colors and textures, provided by each and every of the four musicians, and though it is not as heavy as the previous, the sense of tension is kept and spread, however, we can sense some tranquility after all that earlier chaos, which is, naturally, nice.

I'll be curious to know what's next for Anchor and Burden, I hope they keep creating this music with no limits, so we, as listeners, can also feel free.