ANIALATOR - Rise To Supremacy
March 28, 2018, 6 years ago
(Xtreem)
Originally formed in 1986 and disbanded in 1990, Anialator (Texas based, not to be confused with Jeff Waters’ unit) have reformed and issued a new release some 32 years later. Containing five tracks, this EP starts out unspectacularly with the initial two tracks. While obviously well played and produced, the songs could come from any number of fledgling, hard hitting thrash-bands-with-death-tendencies doing the rounds. Up-tempo and brutal, it brings to mind The Crown, especially the roar vocals that refer to Johan Lindstrand. However, third track “Rise Again” grabs attention with a pounding riff that is both original and memorable. The best track of the bunch. Fourth track “Thick Skinned” keeps things on the positive side of the ledger, with a mid-tempo, stomping main riff and some Slayer-inspired anti-music guitar soloing. Unfortunately, back to the faceless thrash-blur on the concluding “Black” though.
Seems that Anialator makes more of a mark when they drop all pretenses of trying to be uber-brutal/fast and instead concentrates on riffs and dynamics. So, while firmly starting in the second tier, Rise To Supremacy contains enough kernels of hope that suggest potential for future releases if they were to focus on originality over brutality.
