Poems For The Aching Swords For The Infuriated   (Ars Magna Recordings) 

 This is a quite mysterious band, formed only by an anonymous member, who wants to remain in the shadows, the album consist in six unnamed tracks with no printable lyrics just some arcane writings at the inlay cover… well, musically, Animus is no less mysterious than its introduction, its style could be called Black Metal, but this entity seems to transcend the established Black Metal parameters in favour of a convinced artistic vision. The strong, monolithic ambiances defines the sound of Animus, with asphyxiating atmospheres created by blurry, droning, monotone and cyclic guitar riffs with some atmospheric keyboards melodies buried by the wall of guitar buzz, adding the precise aura to the whole extremely dense music… The vocals are raw as hell, reminding me the vocal work of Count Grishnack, just a little lower tuned, but equally ripping and cruel, the lower tones are reached with some interesting tuning, sounding even like a dual voice in some passages (all that increased by the blurry production). This album, although the monotone atmospheres sound varied and complete, all songs contribute with different moods, enriching the album as a whole. The first track, is quite eclectic and mysterious, while the second one is more savage and raw, the third one is the most emotional piece of this album, with some bitter and quite depressing melodies. The fourth track is an interesting blend of the savagery of the second track and the emotion of the third one, creating a unique aura; this is probably the most varied track of the whole album. The fifth track is a dense piece of Doom Metal tinged Black Metal, the whole structure of this song, belongs undoubtedly to the realms of Funeral Doom Metal, only the blurry, mid to high tuned riffing and the blackish voices maintains this piece into the Black Metal parameters. The closing track is the most introspective piece of the Cd, reaching the 13 minutes, this song, with its repetitive and hypnotic riffing will drive you to some kind of trance… The production of “Poems For The Aching, Swords For The Infuriated”, as I mentioned before, is quite raw and blurry, because there were no mastering or re-recording, but the sound is pretty descent and very fitting with the whole music. This work is, definitely, a thick, strong and complete piece of black art in its purest form… strongly recommended. (AP)