CAUSE & CONSEQUENCES

So Much Blood

So Much Darkness

French progressive metal trio anasazi (always lower case, I was told) here releases their sixth full length album (also 4 EP's, and a special instrumental release), titled "cause & consequence".

It's a fine example of complex and dark progressive metal from this band whose members have been intact since 2018, although the history of anasazi stretches back to 2003. So in a way, this celebrates 20 years of anasazi (means 'ancient enemies' in the Navajo tongue).

Line-Up on "cause & consequence"

- Mathieu Madani / vocals, guitars, keyboards - Brunos Saget / guitars - Anthony Barruel / drums; and guest -Tristan Klein/ guitar and Hammond organ.

Themes

I didn't have access to lyrics, but from what I learned in band information, lyrical themes range from "...animal suffering "trapped" and "space between", to depression "324" and "into the void", panic attacks "disheartening", mourning "the mourning", assisted suicide "exit life" and cults "death was (her) name"."

That's right, dark. And lots of blood. Suffering. Despair.

Can life in Grenoble, France be so grim?

Music

For me, the scorching, complex progressive metal tracks, in which the band lets loose with powerful, gritty riffs, and some amazingly inventive vocal arrangements, work best. I'd say the first two-thirds of the album sizzles, while the last third has its moments, without the flash and flair.

But in each track, multi-instrumentalist/ lead vocalist Mathieu Madani- the only original anasazi member- outdoes himself with vocal creativity. This is an album highlight, in my opinion. There are harmonies, vocal give-and-take passages, distant and close voices, intense, mournful, passionate, heartbroken, and other emotive voices. He uses a capella passages, and shows a lot of inventiveness.

In several places, orchestration is suggested, and the Hammond organ is also a highlight- I'm a sucker without a doubt when it comes to that.

Gritty Riffs

But probably the real star of the show, are the heavy, downtuned, gut-bucket riffs; the album is filled with them. They make me bang my head, shake my booty, rejoice, and stamp my feet. Bass guitar tones were great too, rich and round and rough, the way I like them.

My Conclusion

The album seems to lose momentum about two-thirds of the way through. The music has merit. Themes are so dark as to be oppressive sometimes. Musicianship is superb. Compositions show sophistication and intelligence. And those vocals!

My Rating

3.5 out of 5 blood-tinged stars, rounded up to 4 thanks to the stellar vocal arrangements.

Progressive Heavy ROCK - Tasty, Adventurous, and Well Recorded

Some albums, even prog albums, don't have to re-invent the wheel to succeed. I had never heard Anasazi in the past, but as I worked my way through my first listen of Cause and Consequences, I kept nodding my head thinking "Good choice." Like many prog metal bands, Anasazi switches up the feel often, but it never feels forced. They also don't milk a particular idea too far (which many other bands do). The influences are certainly here - Tool, Opeth, Porcupine Tree, and traditional heavy rock, but the number of different rhythms, tonalities, melodic elements always kept me interested. There is very little shred (although it is well done in the few places the guitarist lets loose). Thankfully, the band neither leans on Dream Theater or Meshuggah. There's plenty of groove, great riffing, and vocals that have some attitude and snarl without ever going into extreme realms.

There is a LOT of death themes in the lyrics, which did not appeal to me as much as the music itself. What did appeal to me was the production. I could hear everything clearly. During vocal sections, the vocals were the loudest element. When there was a guitar solo, it was clear. Riffs, including the spaces between notes, sit on top when it's time. While one would assume that all professionally mixed and mastered albums would be this way, modern overuse of compression and overdubs often makes (especially metal albums) a soup of sound where the only clear element is the kick and snare.

The final epic is indeed the star of the album, taking the listener on a journey that has many stops along the way but always knows where it is headed. The opening riff encapsulates all the things the band does well - a syncopated riff a la Opeth, then a layered vocal over a Tool groove, and then a not-quite-chorus that if anything makes me think of King's X. What I love is that even if one instrument is making an obvious nod to a classic band, other members of the band are pulling from somewhere else. The result is interesting, rocking, and a great listen from the opening to the close.

So why not 5 star? Although they have produced a wonderful album, recombining known elements in their own unique way, the elements themselves are familiar. My emotional response is more like a little nod and "Nice!" but not "Holy Moly what is THAT?" And I think there needs to be some of those moments to classify an album as masterpiece.

Anasazi ('former enemies' in the Navajo language) group formed in 2003 by Mathieu Madani on the evening of the viewing of an episode of the X-Files of the same title; very quickly they burn their production with a sound oriented on prog metal with Dream Theater sauce with concept titles. A nervous, inventive, alternative sound where the prog comes in second place to refresh the titles removed for this 6th opus.

'Trapped' begins nervous, riff and stoner atmosphere, heavy rock without concession; Mathieu's hoarse voice on the bass accentuates even more the progressive convolutions rather than the prog spirit they distilled until now; a merger between Alice In Chains and Tokyo Blade. '324' still with those metal riffs, borderline narrative voice; the dry riff leading to a dark shore where Bruno's solo can bewitch; final to the phrasing of the RATMs. 'Death Was (Her) Name' with its typical 90s metal sound after the grunge experience, to that of the 80s during the post- punk new wave versions of Killing Joke for example, also on Bon Jovi; dark, experimental, metal with de facto prog inroads; to note Tristan on the guitar sowing big riffs and a nervous, arabic and committed solo. 'Exit Life' ambient air limit, nasal voice as in megaphone, riff always there to jerk, to make move; his electro with a warm organ for the crescendo. The return to the verse before diving back on a last melodic solo like JPL can release them between rock and prog.

'Disheartening' for the 1st of the two long titles, strange, mysterious, phrasing, ephemeral melancholic notes which refer to the first titles of Anathema; it's the synth that gives a little warmth and the latent rhythm held by Anthony on drums intensifies everything; it rises gradually and surely, voice-over à la Amarok and rise still raw and refined. 'Into the Void' shows the progressive side that JPL manages to do wonderfully by playing a surprising tune with a simple guitar; we find there the structure of the hard groups of the 80s during their breaks-soli. 'Space Beetween' changes, soft pop-bluesy title and a floydian guitar that quickly sets the tone; I find the framework of PINK FLOYD that I had found on their first albums; an evolving, airy solo where only Mathieu's signature voice remains to hang us up. 'The Mourning' intro maiden for bass and air at RATM; title melting-pot of everything that has been listened to until the hypnotic, basic, effective break bringing a divine acoustic guitar arpeggio; halfway through, it's the hardos 80 riff that rises, holds you in suspense, another more intimate break on the atmosphere of the floyds of hovering and flayed Animals; title which holds especially by this debauchery of guitar notes.

Anasazi releases this tortured album, with sharp riffs, a dark atmosphere, between spleen and depressive side; complex and worked, sowing trails on landmark groups; a lot of sharp, tormented guitars to give a singular glimpse of the singular, prog metal spirit.