With the magnetic tidal wave of praise that seems to become stronger and stronger with each and every Anubis Gate release pushing down on the progressive metal scheme, it would only make sense that the Danish philosophers deliver another consistent platter of poignant material. This eponymous return from the hand of Denmark's finest hauled in some uneasiness after the wonderful Jacob Hansen pulled his voice out of the progressive madness, but if there's one band that can bounce back from an apocalyptic loss, it's Anubis Gate, and you can bet your hindquarters they are still one of the subgenre's prime acts. This rocking hour of progressive precision is simply stunning, never once breaking the band's divine chain of validity or leading the listener to believe Anubis Gate has finally stumbled headfirst into redundancy.Essentially, this is the safest form of progressive metal you will ever find. Painting the influence from acts like Fates Warning or Dream Theater isn't far off, because Anubis Gate showcases several aspects of this kind of sound with all the elegant patterns, advanced instrumentation, longer tracks and daring songwriting of these groups. However, Anubis Gate has a charismatic jolt, something that just snaps the listener into that primitive sense of deeply enjoying their music, nothing more. Their riffs are nice and sophisticated, and sometimes they zap the speed up to the sun with rocketing instrumentation and energetic soloing throughout multi-layered slabs like "Oh My Precious Life" without missing a beat. Take the comparisons to Dream Theater at face value, however; Anubis Gate is much more interesting and charming.
Furthermore, Anubis Gate shows many unique colors often untouched in their identity, using choruses and complex arrangements to complete this formula of catchy, addictive, dynamic, explosive, unpredictable, mysterious and futuristic magic. Their style emerges during the opening "Hold Back Tomorrow" through a plethora of rocking riffs and substantial percussion beats slowly nodding in the rolling equation of basic progressive metal, but there are some truly fantastic riffs and patterns lurking between the slithering barrage of metallic optimism. It's a rather excellent tune, and Anubis Gate thankfully reflects this brand of consistency throughout the whole album. They easily nail exciting metallic bursts such as "Telltale Eyes" and gigantic epics with gentle precision; they make it seem so easy, they really do. The instrumental "River" really bites into the progressive term, using weird guitars and atmospheric keys that are simply stunning.
Oh yea, the return of Henrik Fevre on vocals proves to be an accessible display of glorious singing, which makes the absence of Jacob Hansen that much easier to digest. Honestly, stuff like this stays pretty safe, but you'll never hear a band conquer so much from playing the field so carefully. These dudes are veterans now, and they've remained dangerously consistent and compelling, placing their universal mastery of progressive metal above everything else, and Anubis Gate definitely redefines what it means to kick ass and take names. So kids, the next time you need something that is crafted with brilliance and potency, enter the world of Anubis Gate and let their self-titled opus take you on its dazzling journey.