Invocation of Moribund Spirits

There are several theories in theology about gates to hell that are located all over our planet. After listening to “Invocation of Moribund Spirits” I developed my own theory that one such gate must be found somewhere near the province Overijssel in the Netherlands. After opening said gate some hellish creatures entered earth to manifest themselves in the form of sick and morbid music.

The demon priests at work here are no newcomers. They are or were active in bands such as Eternal Solstice or Burning Hatred (another great band I just stumbled across – unfortunately it seems they split up). Listening to this record the accumulated experience of the members becomes quite obvious.

The first thing that comes to notice after having hit the play button is the darkness and the nastiness of the music. The overall sound reminds of other OSDM bands from Sweden or the Netherlands but somehow Anarchos managed to incorporate an extra portion of filth. The guitars are a tad more down-tuned, the bass is rumbling just a bit more than usual and the drum recording has this slightly metallic and a bit muddy feeling giving the music additional rawness. Listening to “Invocation of Moribund Spirits” feels a bit like the musical equivalent of smelling the stench of a rotting corpse. And this is meant in a positive way.

On the first listen most songs felt a bit chaotic to me. There are a lot of sections where on the surface it seems as if each instruments plays its own part without taking care of what the others do. The drumming often sounds quite unsynchronized. Of course this is done by intention and after a few more listens I realized the idea behind this kind of songwriting.

The songwriting is based on the variation of those elements and the impact the transition between the various parts has on the listener. Guitarists Martin Brakert and Ardy de Jong are churning out a lot of those traditional heavy and often stoic riffs we are all used to. The drums and the bass keep the rhythm tight and the listener starts to feel comfortable. And then there are those outbursts with blast-beats and short but sick and incredibly well played solo sections. I would not call this parts technical DM but there is some instrumental prowess on offer here. When the organized and more simple structure of the track and the trademark riffs return the listener gets a feeling of release.

Melodies and harmonies are there but implemented in a more subtle way. There is a lot of emphasis on atmosphere with all those morbid tones and sounds dripping out of the speakers. Adding to this evil soundscape is singer Frederik Bonke. His deep growling seems less nervous and a bit more monotone compared to a lot of his peers making his delivery even more intense and sinister. It just perfectly fits to the instrumentation.

Like mentioned above the overall production of “Invocation of Moribund Spirits” is very raw and putrid. While you will find similarities to a lot of other bands Anarchos offer a slightly less catchy and more serious take on your typical European OSDM sound. The songs might not sound as uplifting and immediately accessible as say Demonical or Revolting in the first moment but I highly appreciate to get such a varied take on my beloved OSDM style. For me this is one of the most interesting releases of 2018 I am pretty sure it is going to make my YE top 10 when it comes to DM records.