Hell-o zombies, horror freaks and other beings out there!
It´s time to summarize 2011 in the Anima Morte camp.
2011 kicked of great as we had just signed a record deal with the prominent swedish proglabel Transubstans Records, who have been doing a great job getting our music out there!
In late March we re-released our debut album “Face the Sea of Darkness” on digipak w/ 2 bonustracks and in early April “Face the Sea of Darkness” also saw it’s second pressing on (bronze!) vinyl through the great danish metal label Horror Records.
Our second album “The Nightmare Becomes Reality” was released through Transubstans Records in late April and surprisingly entered att #17 (!) on the swedish charts. The album was recieved very well and has gotten great press and reviews thus far.
In early 2012 we will hopefully see the release of “The Nightmare Becomes Reality” on vinyl through Horror Records. Next year will also include a new album release (if everything goes as planned) and maybe a little video too 
Who knows, maybe we are fortunate enough to score a horror movie.
Anyway, we wish to thank everyone who have bought, listened or in any other way supported Anima Morte and our music. Thank you!
Cheers and Happy Horrordays!
Daniel, Fredrik, Stefan, Teddy
//Anima Morte
New Anima Morte T-shirt and Hoodie available from Record Heaven (Girlie t-shirt also available). You can choose currency in Record Heaven’s webshop in the upper right corner.
From It’s a Trap! by John Norby
http://www.itsatrap.com/n/38124-anima-morte-the-nightmare-becomes-reality-transubstans-records
If you’re in any way familiar with the work of legendary Italian horror director Lucio Fulci and his longtime musical collaborator Fabio Frizzi, you’ll adore this second album by Swedish prog-horror crew Anima Morte. Whilst the entire album harks back to the good old days of Italian horror, there are notable similarities between various songs and their cinematic counterparts, all given a prog-metal overhaul. “The revenant”, for example, is like an updated version of Frizzi’s work on “City of the living dead” whilst the title track isn’t too far removed from Stelvio Cipriani‘s sterling work on Umberto Lenzi‘s 1980 classic “Nightmare city”. There are numerous examples of this on here — too many to list in a review — but mention must be made of that fact that this album is a creative homage to an inspirational film movement rather than a rip-off of cult soundtracks. A sublime production highlights every nuance of the band’s wonderful creativity and, while the music will appeal to a select audience rather than wow the masses, it will wow anyone who gives it a chance.
From FEARnet by Gregory Burkart
http://www.fearnet.com/news/reviews/b23196_anima_morte_nightmare_becomes_reality.html
Back in 2008, I was totally blown away by the full-length debut album Face the Sea of Darkness by progressive-rock instrumental combo Anima Morte, who label their style as “vintage Italian horror music from Sweden.” That description is so accurate that casual listeners might have thought the record was a long-lost release from Goblin, Fabio Frizzi or any number of beloved Italian composers whose work is forever linked with legendary filmmakers like Dario Argento and Lucio Fulci.
Since then, the band has aligned itself even more closely to classic ’70s and ’80s Euro-horror than their well-known American counterparts Zombi… and their follow-up album The Nightmare Becomes Reality is solid proof. Read on for a detailed review of this masterpiece of vintage horror rock…
One thing that separates Anima Morte from most horror bands is their focus on the themes, styles and moods of Italian artists like Goblin (Suspiria), Frizzi (The Beyond), Ennio Morricone (Bird with the Crystal Plumage), Riz Ortolani (Cannibal Holocaust), and the De Angelis brothers (Blade in the Dark), as well as their peers Keith Emerson (Inferno), Fred Myrow and Michael Seagrave (Phantasm), while avoiding direct references to the horror movies that those composers scored. No movie samples, horror-based lyrics or tongue-in-cheek song titles here: their main objective is to capture the musical essence of the Italian horror genre, creating soundtracks to movies that never existed (although I really wish they had) and conjuring that beautifully surreal nightmare quality that master filmmakers like Fulci and Argento crafted through visuals and bizarre dream-logic storytelling.
The quartet of Fredrik Klingwall (keyboards), Daniel Cannerfelt (guitars), Stefan Granberg (bass, guitars and keyboards) and Teddy Möller (percussion) employ vintage instruments like Hammond rock organ, electric pianos, Moog synthesizers and Mellotron tape loops to recreate the musical technology of ’70s and ’80s progressive rock, then stir the pot with dark ambient soundscapes and just the right touch of horror effects to magnify the cinematic feel. One of their greatest strengths comes from instantly catchy melodies and hooky motifs – the same elements that caused so many great horror movie themes to become permanently stuck in our heads over the years – and that skill is honed to a razor edge on this release.
The straight-up horror elements emerge first with the intro “Voices From Beyond,” an atmospheric synth piece sprinkled with whimpers and screams (I think the last one is the pre-title scream from Fulci’s City of the Living Dead). The explosive track “Corridor of Blood” follows, summoning all the band’s strengths by bringing together acoustic guitars, slippery synths, gritty bass, warm violin, Mellotron choirs and tremolo organ for a sweeping anthem of evil. “The Revenant” begins as a more ethereal piece, with Goblin-like keyboard arpeggios (very similar to the vibe of their classic album Roller) alternating with bursts of high speed guitar-strumming. “Contamination” is a moody mid-tempo number with piano and synths trading back and forth on a simple but memorable repeating motif, while “Passage of Darkness” is a darker, more menacing track with less aggressive keyboards but a very frantic drum line that infuses it with nervous energy.
“Solemn Graves” is a fitting title for the following cut, with its pensive, outdoorsy feel created by acoustic guitar and warm synth lines that call to mind a windy afternoon in an overgrown cemetery. “Delirious” briefly leaves the horror elements behind, running through the grassy fields of ’70s prog-rock and calling to mind the epic instrumentals of Keith Emerson or Rick Wakeman; but we’re soon back on spooky turf with “Feast of Feralia,” a darkly menacing tune that hints at Phantasm with its organ patterns, loping bass and eerie unnatural choirs.
The title track is one of the most chilling on the album, opening with synth strings forming a lush background for a haunting piano riff, before an urgent pattern of glassy synth triplets enters the scene, calling to mind Daemonia’s updated version of Goblin’s Suspiria theme. The 8-minute epic “Things to Come” paints a broader canvas of mixed styles (there’s even a brief slug of psychobilly-flavored rock) but it feels intimate and tightly focused, with a sweet piano break midway through, and the melody is one of their hookiest. The album closes with the shuffling, repetitive “The Dead Will Walk the Earth,” which doesn’t quite live up to its Dawn of the Dead-inspired title, but the electronic zombie voice effects in the background are an excellent touch.
It’s worth noting that this band is more than just a novelty on their home turf: The Nightmare Becomes Reality placed very high on the Swedish album charts, holding its own against even the biggest-name artists from the world’s most far-reaching record labels. Even if Anima Morte’s music remains a niche subgenre in other parts of the world, fans of classic Italian horror and vintage progressive rock should do themselves a solid and put a copy of both this and Face the Sea of Darkness in their permanent collections – not just in tribute to our favorite horror music composers, but also because these albums are so damn good on their own.
For a little taste of Nightmare, check out the clips below – including an excerpt from their studio recording sessions and a teaser featuring “Corridor of Blood,” definitely the best track on the album.
From Métal Intégral by Alain
Rated 18 out of 20! (In french and translated english)
http://www.metal-integral.com/en/reviews/2875/anima-morte/review-the-nightmare-becomes-reality.html
From Rocktopia by Ian Johnson
Swedish instrumental horror progressive metal is how the band Anima Morte is described in their record company info pack. That’s a genre that I haven’t heard of before, and with that kind of musical tag hanging around their necks what do Anima Morte really sound like? Well, I was expecting firstly, with the horror thing in the bands musical description, a lot of heavy, heavy guitars, grinding bass lines and pounding drums, plus some weird sounds and screaming. Instead what I found whilst playing ‘TNBR’ was a band that play really interesting prog rock that reminded me in places of Spock’s Beard, The Flower Kings and Sieges Even, just without the vocals. And even without the vocals the band’s strange but very interesting take on the whole prog genre, holds your attention from start to finish. For me this music could have been used as a soundtrack to an Italian slasher flick by that master of gore Dario Argento, which is I think what the band were probably aiming for.
Yet, I have, as I said in another review, rather shied away from instrumental albums as after the slew of guitar heroes that came and went in the late eighties and early nineties, that genre of rock music began to annoy me. I have always loved hearing the singer belt out the melodies, and too many of those instrumental albums were being released week on week back then. So what have Anima Morte done to change my mind about instrumental rock? Firstly they have made an album that I have found to be strangely enjoyable, even though there is not a singer in sight. The thoughtful, odd, ethereal quality to their music and the wonderful musicianship on show, made this album a joy to listen to, although as I have such a strange and eclectic love of rock and listen to most of its genres, and find pleasure in each, maybe this will not be a CD that everyone who reads this magazine will enjoy, so be warned! The more adventurous and the prog lovers among you may find much to like and enjoy as this album plays.
Kicking things off with the pompy keyboard laden ‘Corridor Of Blood’ is a stroke of genius, which only helps the band to draw you into the macabre world and sensuous music of Anima Morte. They then continue to entertain with songs as strong and as bold as ‘Contamination’, which reminded me of a lot of early Mike Oldfield, the beautiful Hammond organ led ‘Solemn Graves’, that features some wonderful, intricate acoustic guitar work, and ‘The Nightmare Becomes Reality’, which is another fascinating keyboard driven track that starts slowly and then builds into an exciting climax. Then lastly for is me is the albums tour de force, the eight minute plus ‘Things To Come’, a song that has some superb guitar and keyboard interplay and wonderful melodies, which are mixed with strange jazz rock passages that gel and work so well together, that you’re taken along on a fantastic musical journey.
Whilst I may think that the horror metal tag might be pushing what these guys are all about in the wrong direction, I will say that I did find this CD to be a clever mixture of weird, melodic and strange prog rock, that also turned out to be one of the more interesting albums that I have had the pleasure of listening to in quite a while.
Check out the interview over at Metal Army America:
From Prog Sphere by Nikola Savić
http://www.prog-sphere.com/2011/06/10/anima-morte-the-nightmare-becomes-reality/
This album entered at #17 on the Swedish charts, but it doesn’t have to mean a thing to you, if we agree that these charts usually consist of the most commerical crap, and thus aren’t a good indicator of quality. It seems that someone (at least) knows how to appreciate real value. Having seen it in the company of Lady Gaga, Kate Bush or Foo Fighters could say a bit about the album’s accessibility, but I am not here to talk about that. I am here to show you who Anima Morte are and what they brought with The Nightmare Becomes Reality.
This is the second album from this band who likes to describe themselves as Vintage Italian Horror Music from Sweden. Saying that recalls one of the most inspiring bands from Italy. Of course I am talking about Goblin. Well so, Anima Morte could be described as Goblin’s successor with the addition of ELP progressive influences. Frankly, I am not aware of any other band of similar genre orientation in the present era, with an exception in the shape of another Swedish (super)group – Morte Macabre. Thus, Anima Morte follows with a dose of uniqueness and certainly they are not lacking in originality. There is Ennio Morricone hiding behind the walls of The Nightmare Becomes Reality, with tributes to the cult 70’s Italian horror movies and their soundtracks.
As for classic-symphonic progressive rock, they heralding it by employing Mellotrons, Moogs and Hammonds, establishing a spooky atmospheric environment. The guitars are mostly in the shadow of the keyboards, but certainly have an impact on the entire audio-visual segment. There is something archaic among these tunes, but still tasty to stay fresh.
Mattias Olsson has lent his production skills and the man shows off his skill with such things. So, production-wise the album has no blunders. On the musical side, it’s a multilayered and complex achievement with well-polished arrangements (notable examples for this are: Corridor of Blood, Contamination and Feast of Feralia). There is a very nice shifting from electric to acoustic guitar passages with Solemn Graves supporting that conclusion. Comparing The Nightmare Becomes Reality with its predecessor Face the Sea of Darkness, there’s an evident progress towards more prog-influenced sound, therefore an improvement too.
Being bordered around horror-sounding themes, it might be right to expect this album to tire you after a few listenings, but actually it floats easily and is absolutely fatigueless. That tells you will be spinning it all over again, becoming obsessed the airiness that will tuck under your skin.
From Metalteam UK by Pete Woods
http://www.metalteamuk.net/june11reviews/cdreviews-anima.htm
This is the first of two discs I am reviewing here featuring virtuoso Swede Fredrik Klingwall (the other is Rising Shadows). He is currently active in both these bands as well as Loch Vostok and is a composer, producer and sound designer so is really immersed in music at many levels. The album title here may have you thinking along the lines of Discharge and that this is a bit of a crust punk tribute but you could not be further off the mark. A clue may be found in last album release title which was ‘Face The Sea Of Darkness’ and when you fans of Mr Lucio Fulci RIP put two and two together you should come up with the fantastical soundtracks of the golden age of Italian horror and cult cinema. What we have here is not a tribute to the likes of Goblin and Frizzi et al but certainly contextually in line with their great works. As I listened the more my jaw dropped and it has remained close to the floor as well on repeated plays as Klingwall really has got the essence of the era down and completely nailed it here with some fantastic compositions which lovers of the films as well as heads who grew up on a diet of 70-80’s prog will absolutely love.
Klingwall plays an array of keyboards; synths, mellotron, Rhodes, Taurus as well as additional guitars and has gathered a cast around him playing everything from violin, to upright piano and bouzaki. You do not know if you are in horror or giallo territory as we enter at ‘Voices From Beyond’ the song twists and turns with a heady feel about it going into over zealous excess ala Dawn Of The Dead and sounding both incredibly futuristic and retro at the same time. There is always a feel of the 70’s and ‘Corridor Of Blood’ coagulates with a gentle progressive feel which the films used to have running through them which had a distinct lounge / disco feel about them. I love ‘The Revenant’ it has the feel of black gloved hands clutching a knife going down a dank dark spiral staircase stalking its prey. There is intrigue and mystery as it meanders, the sleuth of the piece staying just in front of their would be killer having stumbled into a labyrinthine plot of their own undoing. Slightly cheeky perhaps calling a number ‘Contamination’ considering that Goblin have already done a soundtrack to said movie by Luigi Cozzi. It has a real hook laden central motif running through it and in truth does not feel like it particularly alludes to the film itself. ‘Passage Of Darkness’ is incredibly atmospheric and sinister and actually reminds me of an alien world ala Oziric Tentacles but I guess there must be a certain amount of crossover along the line as the ambience of that group comes through.
Another track that really got to me on first listen is ‘Delirious’ with its gentle and sorrowful melody. It is the sort of piece that would go great with a scene of savage cruelty along the lines of Cannibal Holocaust and it’s main theme, working as complete contrast to what you see unfolding on screen. The title track itself kind of reminds me of the futuristic scenes at the nuclear power plant towards the end of Bruno Mattei’s totally underrated Zombie Creeping Flesh, a film that had itself culled Goblin’s Dawn score. If you listen to it and know the film hopefully you will see where I am coming from but there is no denying that towards the end of the album we are really in living dead territory. The last creepy track ‘The Dead Will Walk The Earth’ sums that all up with aplomb.
I love this style of music and collect soundtracks from the era myself. Since the Italian horror film industry went into decline and sputtered along till finally drawing its last breath in 1994 with Soavi’s Dellamorte Dellamore, music of this nature died a death with it. Therefore it is brilliant that someone is composing new music of their own in remembrance, especially when it has been done as brilliantly as this.
From Cosmic Clava by KK
The name ANIMA MORTE as well as the tastefully designed cover artwork brings to mind Giallo and Horror movies from the 1960s/1970s, and this is exactly the intention of this Swedish band. Their second album ‘The Nightmare Becomes Reality’ comes across like a soundtrack for a Horror film that never was shot. This places them in the tradition of a bands such as Goblin, but influences from Emerson Lake & Palmer or Depois Do Fim are also found here. With the exception of Goblin, I am no friend of symphonic progressive rock where guitars play no or at least no major role. However, as ANIMA MORTE are rather at the darker end of this genre their music seems more appealing to me.
This CD contains mostly keyboard-heavy instrumental rock that goes back and forth between classical and more rock orientated themes. There are a lot of vintage keyboards to listen to here, from warm, other-worldly effects courtesy of the Moog synth, to a variety of Hammonds and Mellotrons. Every now and then a guitar appears, which harmonises perfectly with the diverse keybord sounds. Drums and bass compose one strong unit and hold together the opulent compositions. I find it very difficult to pick out single songs, because it’s a very cohesive album which consists of eleven songs. From the eerie sounds of the opening track ‘Voices From Beyond’ to the closer ‘The Dead Will Walk The Earth’ (which can be seen as a homage to Goblin’s work for George A. Romero) this is an amazing piece of work from start to finish. The musicianship on this album is mind-numbingly virtuosic and the band does always surprise me with a meticulous attention to detail.
Moreover, ‘The Nightmare Becomes Reality’ is able to impress with different moods. It is of course a dark album, but ANIMA MORTE do not act in one single direction only. The strong and rich musical arrangements present a band, that are true masters of their craft. For me, ANIMA MORTE is a very pleasant surprise, all the more because they demonstrate individuality and originality. If you like progessive rock music that has the guitar as a major component of the music, this band will probably not appeal to you very much. On the other hand, they managed to convince me, although, as mentioned above, I actually feel no affection for this musical genre. Maybe you will experience something similar like me…
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