ALBUM REVIEW: Riverchild – Anomalie

Black metal can mean many things to different people, but one of its earliest traits was to capture something elemental: a reflection of the natural world in beauty and angst. Riverchild, the fifth album from Austrian atmospheric black metal act ANOMALIE, focuses its energy on building this reflection. The brainchild of multi-instrumentalist Marrok (also a long-time touring guitarist for HARAKIRI FOR THE SKY), Riverchild muses on the ethereal and brutal power of his homeland near a rural stretch of the Danube River through the medium of menacing riffs and metal cries.

The album takes a moment to get going, kicking off with the plodding, sinister dissonance of Mother Of Stars. A weaving guitar and foreboding tom drums eventually transition into crunching distortion chords and multi-tracked droning vocals. There is a welcome uptick in tempo and more extreme quiet/loud sections to spark some energy on An Unforgiving Tide. The range of vocal techniques showcased is impressive. Within the first 90 seconds, that song switches between old-school gravelly vocals, abrasive growls, and some resonant throat singing. Finally, the outro brings all the ingredients together, cycling through multiple different, propulsive drum patterns, as the throat singing combines with a cleaner, wordless vocalisation.

One standout track is the single Perpetual Twilight, which immediately launches into a blast-beat/double-kick salvo and recognisable vocal hook. The song finds new ways to ramp up the unease through changing time signatures and Phrygian dominant scale tones. Then a vast bridge section introduces some new textures – an eerie synth and a tremolo effect, a pause amidst the rampant pace of the track. It’s calibrated well for the live setting, too – momentary tense pauses between sections ideal for opening the circle pit. The outro is a beautiful change of pace, with wandering Spanish guitar lines set against Marrok‘s pained vocals.

Also stealing the attention is the title track, Riverchild. The song begins with the sounds of flowing water and birdsong, palm-muted acoustic guitars cutting a little tension before exploding into a mammoth guitar riff and a classic metal chorus hook. The sections that follow meander through a gamut of metal textures, riffs, and a simple guitar solo. Each time it returns to that epic chorus hook; a little heavier, more bombastic, tones of desperation cutting into the vocal on each reprise. The whole affair is bookended with the acoustic guitar and nature sounds – all that occurs eventually returning to nature.

The rest of the album follows a similar playbook. Awakening is a straight black-metal song that foregrounds rapidly picked lead guitar lines, blast beats, and growls as the primary mode. It’s the heaviest track on the album, even with the major chord dalliances of a thumping chorus. Among Shadows shares similar DNA, another turbulent double-time tempo assault breaking into the sinister, all low guitar bends and droning vocal menace. Heart To Beat feels more conventional in its early stages, a crunching riff and rapid guitar picking mixed beneath a prominent vocal. It picks up more excitement courtesy of some huge cymbal crashes and distorted stabs.

The closer, Thoughts, goes entirely acoustic, woodwinds and percussion augmenting the clean guitars and sonorous vocals. It’s a shame more of these ideas aren’t distributed throughout the rest of the album. Riverchild is a solid effort from ANOMALIE, with several excellent tracks and a few compelling flourishes. The harmonic consistency and melodic simplicity echo its elemental intent, but can feel a little one-note. A couple more inspirations to break up the standard formulae would be most welcome.

Rating: 7/10

Riverchild is out now via AOP Records.

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