Review from Prog Sphere

By On June 14, 2011

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.

 

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