Anaal Nakrath

Eschaton

[4/5] While it’s easy to grow weary of black metal’s come-sip-the-broth-of-hell signifiers (Uzi-fire blast beats, unintelligible vocals and crappy production), Anaal Nathrakh-the duo of vocalist Dave Hunt and multi-instrumentalist Mick Kenney-have done much to expand the possibilities of this purposely repulsive genre. Eschaton, their fourth release, is a landmark for that scene, offering more technical playing that blurs the demarcation between black and death metal, within measured production values that do more to approximate the temperature of hell than any disc in recent memory. As for Hunt’s vocals, you won’t need a lyric sheet to reveal the sentiment found in tracks like “Between Shit And Piss We Are Born” and “When The Lion Devours Both Dragon And Child.” Eschaton welcomes both metal maniacs and misanthropes to Anaal Nathrakh’s table; whether they bang heads in unison or fatally stab each other with cutlery is their choice. (SEASON OF MIST) Jason Pettigrew