REVIEW: ANNIHILATIONMANCER - The Involution Philosophy

 

ANNIHILATIONMANCER - The Involution Philosophy (2011)

Pure Underground Records

Many thrash metal bands have emerged in recent years, and several of them have delivered releases worthy of attention.. ANNIHILATIONMANCER come from Naples, Italy, and have been active since 1994. After several years of development and earlier demo recordings, the band finally released their debut full-length, The Involution Philosophy, through Pure Underground Records in 2011.

Their kind of thrash metal is a bit different from what we are used to hearing. ANNIHILATIONMANCER are more interested in technical and progressive thrash than in following the most straightforward formula of the genre. This makes their music more demanding and, at times, difficult to digest. The album runs for approximately forty-eight minutes and contains seven main songs plus the introductory instrumental “Antimateria,” giving the band enough space to present its ideas in detail.

The influences come from bands such as SLAYER, MEGADETH, TOXIK, WATCHTOWER, ANNIHILATOR, VOIVOD and CORONER. The MEGADETH influence is especially noticeable in the vocals, which reminded me quite a lot of Dave Mustaine’s raspy and aggressive delivery. At the same time, the music is more complicated than standard thrash, with unusual riff structures, frequent changes of tempo, technical guitar passages and progressive arrangements.

The album begins with “Antimateria,” an intro that prepares the listener for the technical attack that follows. “Etereo,” “The Involution Philosophy” and “Apolide” demonstrate the band’s interest in combining classic thrash aggression with more intricate songwriting. The title track itself lasts over seven minutes, allowing the musicians to develop several ideas instead of relying on a short and predictable structure. “Impoverishment God Existence,” “Corner of the Answers” and “Reflected in Her Life” continue this approach, with the guitars remaining the dominant force throughout the release.

All of this sounds great, especially when we add the fact that the musicians of this band are skillful and seem to know how to play their instruments quite well. The guitar work is the strongest element of the album, moving between sharp rhythm riffs, technical passages and extended lead sections. The drums also have to follow a demanding rhythmic framework, while the bass contributes to the dense and tightly arranged character of the songs. The performances are not amateurish; this is clearly a band with considerable instrumental ability.

So, from such a skilful band, you cannot expect anything less than an interesting album. Yes, ANNIHILATIONMANCER have some very good ideas, and there are moments when their mixture of technical and progressive thrash works very well. Their music has energy, ambition and enough complexity to satisfy listeners who enjoy challenging metal. They also avoid sounding like a simple copy of one particular influence, even though the presence of those influences is easy to recognize.

However, if you look at the whole picture of this release, you will notice that the band lacks variety. From a certain point onward, I had the feeling that I was listening to the same things again and again. The riffs are often technically impressive, but the songs do not always develop in a sufficiently different way from one another. The album sometimes feels more focused on showing the musicians’ abilities than on creating memorable compositions.

I believe that the band needs to tame their skills to the point where they become functional and serve the compositions. Technical ability is important, but it should support the songs rather than become the main purpose of the songs. A difficult riff or a complicated rhythmic change does not necessarily make a composition stronger if there is no memorable idea behind it.

It would be great if, on their next release, ANNIHILATIONMANCER could create songs that are both technical and memorable. They clearly possess the talent, experience and ambition to do so. What they need is a better balance between progressive complexity, aggression and songwriting that stays in the listener’s mind after the album has finished.

The Involution Philosophy is an interesting but demanding debut from an Italian band with strong technical abilities and clear respect for the more progressive side of thrash metal. Fans of TOXIK, WATCHTOWER, CORONER and technically minded MEGADETH may find a lot to appreciate here, while listeners who prefer direct and immediately memorable thrash may find the album repetitive. Therefore, I would advise you to try to listen to this release carefully before you decide whether it deserves a place in your collection.

Nick Parastatidis