THE NIGHTMARE BECOMES REALITY

ANIMA MORTE's second album "The Nightmare Becomes Reality" isn't as dark as its title may make you believe. The album art may be goulish and the music minor-key, but everything remains rather light in arrangements and upbeat in pace, often opting for bright synth tones rather then big mellotrons. What makes this interesting is how they add dark and slightly threatening themes to the easy-going melodic heart of their songs.

The most similar album that comes to mind is "Symphonic Holocaust" from MORTE MACABRE. Even the band name seems coined after them. Other obvious references are the soundtracks of GOBLIN and the subtle instrumental music of BO HANSSON. ANIMA MORTE is more upbeat and melodic then their inspirations.

I also hear a lot of CAMEL in this music: this album has a sound similar of 'Moonmadness', it has the muscle of 'Mirage' and the instrumental conceptual approach of 'Snow Goose' (Just check the track 'Contamination'). I keep those Camel albums in high regard and even if "The Nightmare Becomes Reality" isn't on the same level as those mellow-moody Prog masterpieces, it is very deserving in its own right. The only flaw I see is that all compositions tend to sound a bit similar after a while.

This album boasts 47 minutes of moody melodic themes, it has an excellent musical interplay and a high level of Prog authenticity. Nevertheless this album seems to have failed finding an audience. A real pity. This is excellent instrumental Prog and it's been quite a while since I was impressed this much by a contemporary symphonic Prog album.

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