Anaal Nathrakh are a British

extreme metal Extreme metal is a loosely defined umbrella term for a number of related heavy metal music subgenres that have developed since the early 1980s. It has been defined as a "cluster of metal subgenres characterized by sonic, verbal, and visual tran ...

band formed in 1999 in Birmingham by multi-instrumentalist

Mick Kenney Mick Kenney (born 18 January 1980) is a British musician and record producer. He gained popularity as the lead guitarist of the extreme metal band Anaal Nathrakh, for which he performs under the stage name Irrumator. Career Kenney studied Il ...

and vocalist Dave Hunt. They are currently signed to Metal Blade Records. The band's name is Irish for ''snake's breath'' ( anál nathrach) and was taken from

Merlin Merlin ( cy, Myrddin, kw, Marzhin, br, Merzhin) is a mythical figure prominently featured in the legend of King Arthur and best known as a mage, with several other main roles. His usual depiction, based on an amalgamation of historic and le ...

's Charm of Making in

John Boorman Sir John Boorman (; born 18 January 1933) is a British film director, best known for feature films such as ''Point Blank'' (1967), ''Hell in the Pacific'' (1968), ''Deliverance'' (1972), ''Zardoz'' (1974), '' Exorcist II: The Heretic'' (1977), ...

's 1981 film '' Excalibur''. The band recorded two demos in 1999, which were later released as an album. The band has released eleven studio albums, one EP, and one compilation album. The band has been praised for mixing elements of

grindcore Grindcore is an extreme fusion genre of heavy metal and hardcore punk that originated in the mid-1980s, drawing inspiration from abrasive-sounding musical styles, such as thrashcore, crust punk, hardcore punk, extreme metal, and industrial. G ...

black metal Black metal is an extreme metal, extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. Common traits include Tempo#Beats per minute, fast tempos, a Screaming (music)#Black metal, shrieking vocal style, heavily distorted Electric guitar, guitars played with t ...

death metal Death metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. It typically employs heavily distorted and low-tuned guitars, played with techniques such as palm muting and tremolo picking; deep growling vocals; aggressive, powerful drumming, feat ...

industrial Industrial may refer to: Industry * Industrial archaeology, the study of the history of the industry * Industrial engineering, engineering dealing with the optimization of complex industrial processes or systems * Industrial city, a city dominate ...

, and other genres.

History

The band took their founding cues from Norwegian black metal bands such as

Mayhem Mayhem most commonly refers to: * Mayhem (crime), a type of crime Mayhem may also refer to: People * Monica Mayhem (born 1978), Australian pornographic actress * Jason "Mayhem" Miller, American mixed martial arts fighter * Mayhem Miller (dra ...

Burzum Burzum (; ) was a Norwegian music project founded by Varg Vikernes in 1991. Although Burzum never played live performances, it became a part of the early Norwegian black metal scene and is considered one of the most influential acts in black m ...

, and

Darkthrone Darkthrone is a Norwegian extreme metal band from Kolbotn, Akershus. Formed in 1986 as a death metal band named Black Death, in 1991 Darkthrone embraced a black metal style influenced by Bathory and Celtic Frost and became one of the leadin ...

. The duo recorded two demos before delivering their first full album, ''

The Codex Necro ''The Codex Necro'' is the first studio album by British extreme metal band Anaal Nathrakh. It was released on 22 November 2001. The album was re-released on 24 April 2006, with four additional bonus tracks taken from the John Peel BBC Radio One ...

'', in 2001, that, according to '' The A.V. Club'', "set a standard of blackened death that still hasn’t been equaled". In 2004, Anaal Nathrakh released their second full-length album, ''

Domine Non Es Dignus ''Domine Non Es Dignus'' is the second studio album by British extreme metal group Anaal Nathrakh. It was released on 2 November 2004. The title translates to "Lord, you are not worthy" in Latin. Background The title "Rage, Rage Against the Dying ...

'', on the French label

Season of Mist Season of Mist is an independent record label and record distributor with subsidiaries in France and the United States. The record label was founded in 1996 by Michael S. Berberian in Marseille, France. From the start releasing black metal, pag ...

. In 2006, the group's third album, '' Eschaton'' (commonly referred to as the " end of the world" or " end times"), was released. The album featured guest appearances by

Shane Embury Shane Embury (born 27 November 1967) is a British bassist and a member of the grindcore and death metal band Napalm Death since 1987. Career Napalm Death While not a founding member, Embury is the longest standing member of the band, havin ...

Napalm Death Napalm Death are an English grindcore band formed in 1981 in Meriden, West Midlands. None of the band's original members has been in the group since 1986. But since ''Utopia Banished'' (1992), the lineup of bassist Shane Embury, guitarist Mitch ...

and

Attila Csihar Attila Csihar (; born 29 March 1971), also sometimes known as Void, is a Hungarian extreme metal vocalist, best known for his vocal work in Norwegian black metal band Mayhem and American drone-doom project Sunn O))). Author Ian Christe descr ...

of Mayhem. The album ''

Hell Is Empty and All the Devils Are Here ''Hell Is Empty, and All the Devils Are Here'' is the fourth album by British extreme metal band Anaal Nathrakh, released on 29 October 2007 by FETO Records. The album title is a quote from the first act of William Shakespeare's '' The Tempest'' ...

'' was released through the band's new record label, FETO Records, in October 2007. The album features guest appearances from Joe Horvath of

Circle of Dead Children Circle of Dead Children is an American deathgrind band formed in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1998. After the release of a self-titled demo that was put out the same year they formed, Circle of Dead Children signed on with Willowtip Records to r ...

. In 2009, Anaal Nathrakh announced that they signed to record label

Candlelight Records Candlelight Records is a British record label based in England and founded by former Extreme Noise Terror bassist Lee Barrett, though it has had a division in the United States since January 2001. Candlelight Records specialises in black metal ...

for their release of ''

In the Constellation of the Black Widow ''In the Constellation of the Black Widow'' is the fifth studio album by British extreme metal band Anaal Nathrakh, released on 29 June 2009 by Candlelight Records. The album was also released on LP, limited to 500 copies. 250 copies are pressed ...

''. Commenting on the signing, V.I.T.R.I.O.L. stated, "Candlelight have shown a strong belief in Anaal Nathrakh and looking at some of the acts on their roster both past and present it seems they are capable of backing up their good intentions. With their help we hope we can finally get the planet cracked in half", and "''Constellation'' will be faster, more insidious, more ominous, more musically dexterous and wilder than ever before. The album will feature a curve ball guest appearance from Zeitgeist Memento of Mexican extremists Repvblika." Anaal Nathrakh released their sixth full-length album, '' Passion'', in 2011, and their seventh, '' Vanitas'', in 2012. The band finished recording for their eighth full-length album, ''

Desideratum "Desiderata" is an early 1920s poem by Max Ehrmann. Desiderata or Desideratum may also refer to: Books * ''The Desideratum; or, Electricity Made Plain and Useful'', a book by John Wesley * Desiderata Hollow, a fictional character in '' Witches Ab ...

'', in February 2014, and released the album on 28 October 2014. ''

'' was the band's first album release since signing to Metal Blade Records in June of the same year. The band's ninth album, '' The Whole of the Law'', was released on 28 October 2016. On 20 May 2018, it was revealed that they were going to release their tenth studio album, titled '' A New Kind of Horror''. The album was released on 28 September 2018. In early 2020, the band recorded their eleventh album, ''Endarkenment''. The album was released on 2 October 2020. '' Metal Hammer'' named it as the 31st best metal album of 2020.

Musical style

Critics have said that the band fuses elements of

symphonic black metal Symphonic black metal is a subgenre of black metal that emerged in the 1990s and incorporates symphonic and orchestral elements. Notable symphonic black metal bands include Cradle Of Filth, Dimmu Borgir, Emperor, and Carach Angren. History ...

, and

. They are mostly described as

, industrial death metal,

industrial black metal Industrial metal is the fusion of heavy metal and industrial music, typically employing repeating metal guitar riffs, sampling, synthesizer or sequencer lines, and distorted vocals. Prominent industrial metal acts include Ministry, Nine ...

, grindcore, and

blackened death metal Blackened death metal (also known as black death metal) is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal that fuses elements of black metal and death metal. The genre emerged in early 1990s when black metal bands began incorporating elements of death me ...

Band members

Current members

(Irrumator) –

guitars The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range: ** Bass (instrument), including: ** Acoustic bass gui ...

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

, drum programming, programming (1999–present) * Dave Hunt (V.I.T.R.I.O.L. isita Interiora Terræ Rectificando Invenies Occultum Lapidem – vocals (1999–present)

Additional live members

* Anil Carrier (Binah, No More Room in Hell, Towers of Flesh, Pernicion, The Solemn Curse) – drums (2016–present) * Drunk (Duncan Wilkins) – bass, backing vocals (2011–present) * Danilho Rosé (Dan Rose) – guitar (2011–present)

Past members

* Leicia – bass (1999–2000)

Past live members

* St. Evil (Steve Powell) – drums (2006–2016) * Nicholas Barker – drums (2004) *

– bass (2004–2005) * Danny Herrera – drums (2005) * Misery (Paul Kenney) – bass (2006–2010) * Ventnor – guitar (2005–2010) * G Rash (James Walford) – guitar (2011–2017)

Discography

Studio albums

* ''

'' (2001) * ''

'' (2004) * '' Eschaton'' (2006) * ''

Hell Is Empty, and All the Devils Are Here ''Hell Is Empty, and All the Devils Are Here'' is the fourth album by British extreme metal band Anaal Nathrakh, released on 29 October 2007 by FETO Records. The album title is a quote from the first act of William Shakespeare's '' The Tempest' ...

'' (2007) * ''

'' (2009) * '' Passion'' (2011) * '' Vanitas'' (2012) * ''

'' (2014) * '' The Whole of the Law'' (2016) * '' A New Kind of Horror'' (2018) * ''

Endarkenment ''Endarkenment'' is the eleventh studio album by British extreme metal band Anaal Nathrakh. The album was released on 2 October 2020, through Metal Blade Records. Two singles were released from the album: "Endarkenment" and "The Age of Starlight ...

'' (2020)

EPs

* ''

When Fire Rains Down from the Sky, Mankind Will Reap as It Has Sown ''When Fire Rains Down from the Sky, Mankind Will Reap as It Has Sown'' is the first EP by British extreme metal group Anaal Nathrakh. It was released by Mordgrimm Records in Europe and on Earache Records in North America. The EP was written right ...

'' (2003)

Compilation albums

* ''

Total Fucking Necro ''Total Fucking Necro'' is a compilation album comprising two complete Anaal Nathrakh demos, ''Anaal Nathrakh'' and ''Total Fucking Necro'', and one previously unreleased track from the unreleased ''We Will Fucking Kill You'' demo (2001). This al ...

'' (2002)

Demos

*''Anaal Nathrakh'' (1999) *''Total Fucking Necro'' (1999)

Notes

References

External links

Official MySpace

Official merchandise
{{DEFAULTSORT:Anaal Nathrakh English black metal musical groups Blackened death metal musical groups Musical groups established in 1999 Earache Records artists Heavy metal duos English musical duos British industrial music groups English death metal musical groups English grindcore musical groups Musical groups from Birmingham, West Midlands Candlelight Records artists Season of Mist artists Metal Blade Records artists British industrial metal musical groups 1999 establishments in England

History

Musical style

Band members

Current members

Additional live members

Past members

Past live members

Discography

Studio albums

EPs

Compilation albums

Demos

Notes

References

Further reading

External links