Album Review – Anachronistic / 700 And 19 Ways Of Decay (2022)

Have fun with the Blackened Hardcore blasted by two ex-pats, centering around the vocalist’s life experiences and incorporating elements from his job into their sonic madness.

The product of two ex-pats, those being American vocalist and lyricist Matt Ramarge (currently living in South Korea) and Ukrainian multi-instrumentalist Umarlak (currently residing in Poland), joining forces to create something truly unique, a heavy Black Metal sound overlaid with Hardcore vocals, or Blackened Hardcore if you prefer, Anachronistic have just unleashed upon humanity their debut effort, entitled 700 And 19 Ways Of Decay, the first installment of a metal trilogy in the works by the duo. Produced by Anachronistic themselves, mixed by Umarlak, mastered by Andreas “Jonsson” Westholm at Dark Prod Studios, and displaying a gory artwork by Indonesian artist Adi Dechristianize, the album centers a lot around Matt’s life experiences and incorporates elements from his job (by the way, 700-19 is the actual contract paperwork for working in Korea as a US contractor), being recommended for fans of Blood For Blood, Hatebreed and Behemoth, just to name a few.

Thunders cracking work as an intro to Recall, a metallic Black Metal storm led by the violent beats by Umarlak who also delivers sheer hatred from his riffage while Matt growls and barks in the name of Hardcore; whereas Time To Drink is more rhythmic and deranged than the opening tune, with Umarlak doing a great job armed with his unstoppable guitar and low-tuned bass, therefore living up to the legacy of Black Metal and Hardcore and inviting us all to slam into the pit manically. The duo is on fire from the very first second in the massive, extreme music feast entitled Late Night Fundraising, where Matt’s inebriate, deep vocals add an extra layer of insanity to the overall result, and if you think they will slow down or soften their sound at a given point in the album you’re absolutely wrong, as Matt’s raw screams and the Black Metal avalanche crafted by Umarlak will decimate you in Festering Stench.

Let’s slam into the circle pit like there’s no tomorrow with Going To The Ball, a beyond truculent Black Metal tune infused with the most electrifying elements from Hardcore where Umarlak’s instrumental feels like a nuclear bomb so heavy and sharp it sounds, while in Eruption Of A Hork Filled Gut we face another round of their unfriendly sounds presenting hints of the Rock N’ Roll played by Motörhead, with Umarlak creating a puissant wall of sounds with his riffs and beats, supporting Matt and his enraged roars. Follow The Rules Or Die is just as noisy and dense as its predecessors with Matt doing a great job once again with his deep roars; the song loses its grip after a while, but it’s still very enjoyable if Blackened Hardcore is your cup of tea. And it’s time for one final Extreme Metal explosion in the form of Hatred For Work Causes Gout, with both Matt and Umarlak sounding possessed by a demonic entity, consequently enhancing the song’s impact and putting a visceral conclusion to the album.

“We tried to encapsulate a dark and raw merging of genres with this band. The vison behind Anachronistic initial trilogy LP release is to get people hooked on the concept and leave fans waiting for the next chapter to come out. Sonically and emotionally this album is really fun to listen to from a ‘bird’s eye viewpoint’. Once fans dig deeper into the song lyrics and album cover they will realize this is a true, hilarious story that will continue through two more releases, getting darker, heavier, nastier with each release. Even as a standalone release, 700 and 19 Ways of Decay will stand strong amongst fans of Black Metal and Hardcore,” commented the band about their newborn beast, which is by the way available for a full listen on YouTube and on Spotify. In addition, don’t forget to give the duo a shout on Instagram, and of course to purchase 700 And 19 Ways Of Decay from the band’s own BandCamp page, banging your head nonstop until the second chapter of the adventures of Matt Ramarge see the light of day in a not-so-distant future.

Best moments of the album: Time To Drink, Going To The Ball and Eruption Of A Hork Filled Gut.

Worst moments of the album: Follow The Rules Or Die.

Released in 2022 Independent

Track listing
1. Recall 4:48
2. Time To Drink 3:59
3. Late Night Fundraising 3:11
4. Festering Stench 4:20
5. Going To The Ball 3:33
6. Eruption Of A Hork Filled Gut 3:02
7. Follow The Rules Or Die 4:55
8. Hatred For Work Causes Gout 3:38

Band members
Matt Ramarge – vocals
Umarlak – all instruments

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