THE NIGHTMARE BECOMES REALITY

A very competent album by a Swedish band with a style that could be compared to Camel due to the emphasis on clean dynamic lead solos. From the outset when the screams are heard and the creaking doors I was a little taken aback wondering what my ears were being subjected to. I soon got used to the ethereal style and there are no lyrics to speak of, mainly massive passages of dark instrumentals.

Every track seems to ebb with a power exhumed from the depths of the horror vault. Perhaps the band are inspired by Dario Argento's schlock horror grand guignol gore movies, such as Suspiria. The black arts and extreme gore of his films are well known and the music on offer from Anima Morte would make a fitting soundtrack. It is a symphonic soudscape generated by the band, though I am no fan of the horror genre, preferring to give it a wide berth, so this was an immediate turn off for my ears.

Tracks with titles such as Coridoor of Blood, Passage Of Darkness, Solemn Graves, Feast Of Feralia and The Dead Will Walk The Earth may interest some and I can see where the album will appeal as the horror genre has a solid market. I can also admire the musical techniques, but it is not an album I will return to as it is nightmarish music, darkening the atmosphere; simply not for my tastes on any level. I can listen to dark prog at times but when it is blatantly based directly on horror themes such as this, I can never justify a high rating. 3 stars for the very well accomplished musicianship, if not for the ghoulish thematic content.