Anaal Nathrakh

Anaal Nathrakh
Anaal Nathrakh, Summer Dying Loud 2024
Anaal Nathrakh, Summer Dying Loud 2024
Background information
OriginBirmingham, England
Genres
Years active1999–present
Labels
Members
Past membersLeicia

Anaal Nathrakh are a British extreme metal band formed in 1999 in Birmingham by multi-instrumentalist Mick Kenney and vocalist Dave Hunt. They are signed to Metal Blade Records. The band's name is Irish for "snake's breath" (anál nathrach) and was taken from Merlin's Charm of Making in John Boorman's 1981 film Excalibur. The band recorded two demos in 1999, later released as an album.

The band have released eleven studio albums, one EP, and one compilation album. The band have been praised for mixing grindcore, black metal, death metal, industrial, and other genres.

History

The band was inspired by Norwegian black metal bands such as Mayhem, Burzum, and Darkthrone. The duo recorded two demos before their first full album, The Codex Necro, in 2001, which, according to The A.V. Club, "set a standard of blackened death that still hasn’t been equaled". In 2004, Anaal Nathrakh released their second full-length album, Domine Non Es Dignus, on Season of Mist. In 2006, the group's third album, Eschaton (commonly referred to as the "end of the world" or "end times"), was released. The album featured guest appearances by Shane Embury of Napalm Death and Attila Csihar of Mayhem. The album Hell Is Empty and All the Devils Are Here was released through FETO Records, in October 2007. The album features guest appearances from Joe Horvath of Circle of Dead Children.

In 2009, Anaal Nathrakh signed to Candlelight Records for the release of In the Constellation of the Black Widow. V.I.T.R.I.O.L. stated, "Candlelight have shown a strong belief in Anaal Nathrakh and looking at some of the acts on their roster both past and present it seems they are capable of backing up their good intentions. With their help we hope we can finally get the planet cracked in half", and "Constellation will be faster, more insidious, more ominous, more musically dexterous and wilder than ever before. The album will feature a curve ball guest appearance from Zeitgeist Memento of Mexican extremists Repvblika."

Anaal Nathrakh released their sixth full-length album, Passion, in 2011, and their seventh, Vanitas, in 2012. The band finished recording their eighth full-length album, Desideratum, in February 2014, and released it on 28 October 2014. Desideratum was the band's first album release since signing to Metal Blade Records in June of that year.

The band's ninth album, The Whole of the Law, was released on 28 October 2016. On 20 May 2018, they revealed that they were going to release their tenth studio album, A New Kind of Horror. The album was released on 28 September 2018.

In early 2020, the band recorded their eleventh album, Endarkenment. The album was released on 2 October 2020. Metal Hammer named it the 31st best metal album of 2020.

Musical style

Official band logo

Critics have said that the band fuses elements of symphonic black metal, black metal, death metal, grindcore, and industrial. They are mostly described as extreme metal, industrial death metal, industrial black metal, black metal, grindcore, and blackened death metal.

Band members

Current members

Additional live members

  • Dan Rose – guitar (2011–present)
  • Sam Loynes (Akercocke, Voices) – guitar (2022–present)
  • David Gray (Akercocke, Voices) – drums (2022–present)
  • Dan Abela (Voices) – bass (2022–present)

Past members

  • Leicia – bass (1999–2000)

Past live members

  • St. Evil (Steve Powell) – drums (2006–2016)
  • Nick Barker – drums (2004)
  • Shane Embury – bass (2004–2005)
  • Danny Herrera – drums (2005)
  • Misery (Paul Kenney) – bass (2006–2010)
  • Ventnor – guitar (2005–2010)
  • G Rash (James Walford) – guitar (2011–2017)
  • Anil Carrier (Binah, No More Room in Hell, Towers of Flesh, Pernicion, The Solemn Curse) – drums (2016–2019)
  • Drunk (Duncan Wilkins) – bass, backing vocals (2011–2019)

Discography

Studio albums

EPs

Compilation albums

Demos

  • Anaal Nathrakh (1999)
  • Total Fucking Necro (1999)

Notes

References

  1. 1 2 "The Guide to Getting into Anaal Nathrakh - Noisey". noisey.vice.com. 27 February 2018. Archived from the original on 19 August 2018. Retrieved 18 August 2018.
  2. 1 2 Phillips, William; Cogan, Brian (20 March 2009). Encyclopedia of Heavy Metal Music. ABC-CLIO. ISBN 9780313348013 – via Google Books.
  3. 1 2 McIver, Joel (4 March 2010). Extreme Metal II. Omnibus Press. ISBN 9780857122247 – via Google Books.
  4. ↑ "Anaal Nathrakh - Biography & History - AllMusic". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 19 August 2018. Retrieved 18 August 2018.
  5. ↑ Pierce, Leonard (18 November 2009). "The decade's best metal". Archived from the original on 19 August 2018. Retrieved 19 August 2018.
  6. 1 2 "Domine Non Es Dignus - Anaal Nathrakh - Songs, Reviews, Credits - AllMusic". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 19 August 2018. Retrieved 18 August 2018.
  7. ↑ "BBC - Religions - Christianity: End Times". BBC Online. 19 July 2011. Archived from the original on 16 February 2018. Retrieved 10 November 2017.
  8. 1 2 3 "Eschaton - Anaal Nathrakh - Songs, Reviews, Credits - AllMusic". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 19 August 2018. Retrieved 18 August 2018.
  9. ↑ "ANAAL NATHRAKH Hard at Work on New Material". 18 June 2007. Archived from the original on 19 August 2018. Retrieved 19 August 2018.
  10. ↑ "ANAAL NATHRAKH: New Song Posted Online". 14 September 2007. Archived from the original on 19 August 2018. Retrieved 19 August 2018.
  11. ↑ Freeman, Phil. "Hell Is Empty, and All the Devils Are Here". Allmusic. Archived from the original on 19 August 2018. Retrieved 19 August 2018.
  12. 1 2 "Anaal Nathrakh in the Constellation of the Black Widow Review - Review of in the Constellation of the Black Widow by Anaal Nathrakh". 14 March 2012. Archived from the original on 14 March 2012.
  13. ↑ "Anaal Nathrakh Signs With Candlelight Records" Archived 14 June 2009 at the Wayback Machine. Blabbermouth.net. 2009-02-25. Retrieved 2011-10-13.
  14. ↑ "Anaal Nathrakh: New Song Available For Streaming" Archived 4 March 2011 at the Wayback Machine. Blabbermouth.net. 2011-02-23. Retrieved 2011-10-13.
  15. ↑ "Anaal Nathrakh - Desideratum (staff review) - Metal Storm". Metal Storm. 24 October 2014. Archived from the original on 8 July 2017. Retrieved 1 September 2016.
  16. ↑ "Anaal Nathrakh Signs To Metal Blade Records". Blabbermouth.net. 24 June 2014. Archived from the original on 2 July 2014. Retrieved 24 June 2014.
  17. ↑ "ANAAL NATHRAKH To Release 'The Whole of the Law' Album in October". 18 August 2016.
  18. ↑ "Anaal Nathrakh's New Track Takes the Band "Forward!" - MetalSucks". 18 July 2018. Archived from the original on 21 July 2018. Retrieved 18 August 2018.
  19. ↑ "Mick Kenney's official homepage - discography". 9 June 2020. Archived from the original on 15 August 2021. Retrieved 9 June 2020.
  20. ↑ "Anaal Nathrakh". Metal Blade Records. Retrieved 16 August 2020.
  21. ↑ Morgan, Tom (8 August 2020). "NEWS: Anaal Nathrakh detail eleventh album, 'Endarkenment'!". DEAD PRESS!. Archived from the original on 8 February 2022. Retrieved 16 August 2020.
  22. ↑ "The 50 best metal albums of 2020". Metal Hammer. Future plc. 8 January 2020. Retrieved 12 March 2021.
  23. ↑ bravewords.com. "ANAAL NATHRAKH To Release A New Kind of Horror Album in September; "Forward!" Single Streaming". Archived from the original on 20 August 2018. Retrieved 19 August 2018.
  24. ↑ "The Codex Necro - Anaal Nathrakh - Songs, Reviews, Credits - AllMusic". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 19 August 2018. Retrieved 18 August 2018.
  25. ↑ "ANAAL NATHRAKH To Release 'A New Kind of Horror' In September". 18 July 2018. Archived from the original on 18 July 2018. Retrieved 18 August 2018.
  26. ↑ "ANAAL NATHRAKH To Release 'Desideratum' In October". 27 August 2014. Archived from the original on 30 June 2018. Retrieved 26 August 2018.
  27. ↑ "Desideratum - Anaal Nathrakh - Songs, Reviews, Credits - AllMusic". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 30 June 2018. Retrieved 19 August 2018.
  28. ↑ bravewords.com. "ANAAL NATHRAKH Premier "We Will Fucking Kill You" Music Video". Archived from the original on 20 August 2018. Retrieved 19 August 2018.
  29. ↑ "ANAAL NATHRAKH Announces New Album A New Kind of Horror". 21 May 2018. Archived from the original on 30 June 2018. Retrieved 20 July 2018.
  30. 1 2 "Hell Is Empty, and All the Devils Are Here - Anaal Nathrakh - Songs, Reviews, Credits - AllMusic". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 19 August 2018. Retrieved 18 August 2018.
  31. ↑ "ANAAL NATHRAKH Record 'Peel Session'". 19 November 2003.
  32. ↑ "Anaal Nathrakh - Album Discography - AllMusic". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 19 August 2018. Retrieved 18 August 2018.
  33. ↑ "Passion - Anaal Nathrakh - Songs, Reviews, Credits - AllMusic". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 19 August 2018. Retrieved 19 August 2018.
  34. ↑ "Anaal Nathrakh Debut Militant 'Forward!' Single, Detail New Album". Loudwire. 18 July 2018. Archived from the original on 17 August 2018. Retrieved 26 August 2018.
  35. ↑ "Anaal Nathrakh: Vanitas Album Review - Pitchfork". pitchfork.com. Archived from the original on 19 August 2018. Retrieved 19 August 2018.
  36. ↑ "CD Review: Anaal Nathrakh - Passion". 9 June 2011. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 26 August 2018.

Further reading