Search - ANVIL CHORUS :: ANVIL CHORUS - THE KILLING SUN

A veritable cornucopia of prog metal

A. Antero | 10/27/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I had AC's "Blondes In Black/Once Again" 7" (1982) and a 14-track demo tape (1983) back in the 80's. I loved them both and waited for an LP, which never came. I was puzzled. The band had it all: awesome songs, technical brilliance and their own style. So why, why weren't they signed to a major label?!



Now we finally get AC's first album thanks to Rockadrome label. Most of the 12 songs were on that 14-track demo tape, which was stolen from me almost 20 years ago. When I spinned the CD for the first time in my player, I recognized them all - and I was hooked again.



Forget the clichéd cover picture and the average album title, this is sophisticated and original first class prog metal; moody, catchy and powerful. The secret of Anvil Chorus is their knowledge and use of the history of rock music. They are influenced by classic 60's pop & rock, 70's progressive rock & epic heavy rock and 80's new wave & stadion rock, which they infuse together and make their own kind of prog metal. And make no mistake, it's definately PROG and it's definately METAL.



The trademark of the band is the combination of imaginative harmonic twin lead guitar fireworks and Aaron Zimpel's elegant vocals with Thaen Rasmussen's compact vocal harmonies. No matter if the basis of the song is in the 60's rock ("Such Is Life"), in the 70's progressive rock a lá Rush ("Tales"), in the 80's new wave ("European") or in the hard hitting heavy metal riffery ("Deadly Weapons", "Man Made Machines" and "The Blade"), they make the songs sound their own.



Production and mixing are excellent. Maybe you can say it sounds a bit dated analog vinyl LP sound, or you can say it's a timeless sound. Either way, the sound is multi-layered, warm and rich. I recommend listening to the CD also with headphones; you notice the clever use of keyboards better. They are seldom dominant, but frequently there, under surface, making one important layer more.



I could rave about each song of the album - about thoughtful lyrics, diversity and unexpectedness in song structures, styles and moods - but hey, find out yourselves! And now I probably know why Anvil Chorus were never signed to a major label. They were too mature and intelligent as a metal band, too risky for the major labels. A way ahead of their time."

FINALLY, after 25 years of pining...

Buck Naked | The Netherlands | 11/20/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Finally, I can now play an official cd of Anvil Chorus! IMO the best band that was never signed. EVER.

For more detail I suggest the earlier review. I find it hard to put a label on AC's music, but progmetal comes close enough, even though there are a lot of non-metal passages in AC's music.

Another description could be: 'big', or rather: 'BIG'. Big are the melodies and arrangements, but most of all the guitar solos. They are HUGE.



All pros and no cons? Not exactly. If I were to name one con it would only be that I, being accustomed to the noise-ridden 2nd generation demos I've had for 25 years, feel there is missing something. It all sounds excellent (self-produced), but the singing seems a bit, well, cautious. On the demos (a 25 years younger) Aaron Zimple sounds a lot more sure of himself. Or was that just the tape noise speaking?

Another small con: all the songs on the cd sound like they're being played a tad slower than I've gotten used to, but maybe that was the difference in speed between 2 tapedecks back in the day...



All in all: this cd is a long long long overdue masterpiece, a jewel in the crown of my metal collection. A deep bow seems in order. Thank you thank you thank you.

Now I'm pining to see AC live in Europe!"