666sharon666 With their fifth and self-titled album Anubis Gate cut their line-up down to four. Henrik Fevre, their bassist and occasional lead vocalist, assumed the frontman role full-time from this point. He actually briefly held the same role before the arrival of Jacob Hansen, but only in the live environment (itself a rare thing for this band). His style of singing is more like Jacob than original singer Torben Askholm, but I think his voice isn't an acquired taste like Jacob's. His melodic singing suits the Anubis Gate sound perfectly. He is actually my favourite voice this band has had.

Though moving away from the concept album structure this time, the album is probably the closest the band have came to a 'more of the same' kind of release. Like The Detached before it Anubis Gate is a polished sounding modern melodic progressive metal album that uses both power metal and symphonic metal elements. It's an excellent album but other than the vocalist change it doesn't bring anything new to their sound and is also the first time where I've found an Anubis Gate release to be weaker than the last one, though to be fair The Detached is a league above most records I'd rate with 5 stars, so that was to be expected. I'd say this one is about on the level of A Perfect Forever; a little better for me personally based on taste.

Warthur The previous Anubis Gate album I'd heard before this one was Andromeda Unchained, and whilst they don't fail to grab my attention on this self-titled album they don't seem to show a substantial development of their sound. It's solid progressive metal with a sound that's based around the Dream Theater model but which incorporates enough classic metal influences to appeal to power metal listeners as well. It's all rather pleasant, but I don't think it's the quantum leap above their previous work that's really called for when you decide to release an eponymous album this late in your career, and I don't think it quite approaches the prog metal top tier in any event.

AtomicCrimsonRush Anubis Gate is described in the promo pack as "metal with beautiful soundscapes" and this is an apt description of their sound.

There is a heaviness in the distorted downtuned metal riffing, and a beauty in the crystal clear vocals and ambient keyboards. The opening track 'Hold Back Tomorrow' is a blend of melodic keys and vocals by bassist Henrik Fevre layered over the crunching guitars of Jesper M. Jensen. The melody is uplifting and easy to digest for those who like their metal a bit lighter than some of the darker metal that is being churned out of the machine. On 'The Re-Formation Show' there is a great odd progressive time sig made of chunky guitar staccato blasts, and the melodic vocals and keys balance out beautifully. I love the harmonies and the interplay of guitar and keys competing against each other. This one also features a wonderful lead break that reverberates against another guitar harmonising perfectly, and as it builds the metal riffs return creating a wall of sound. This is an awesome song well worth checking out to find out what the band are capable of.

'Facing Dawn' has a driving tempo from the percussion work of Morten Sørensen, and some great riffs over Fevre's pulsing bassline. The time sig is again quirky and chops and changes with tension and release. The harmonised chorus is anthemic and well accomplished. The keyboard solo from Kim Olesen, who also plays guitars, is fabulous, and augments the melodies so well.

'World in a Dome' has a mechanised percussive rhythm that gives it an edge and then some grinding distorted guitars blaze away. It settles into some melodic vocals from Fevre, and eventually a chugging riff locks in. the keys lift up the atmosphere majestically in the chorus along with harmonies. I love the metal precision riffing on this and the way it builds to the instrumental break. The break is very serene keyboards and acoustics at first and gradually leads to an uptempo double kick drumming and another enduring riff to a lead solo. The time sig gets faster at the end, the drumming especially and it caps off an album highlight. The 8:22 song has enough time changes to satiate any prog metal addict.

'Desiderio Omnibus' follows with breakneck speed drums and heavy riffs. It breaks when the verses begin but there is still a relentless speed on this one, sounding as fast as Dragonforce at times. The twin lead break is glorious and the guitars trade off solos like Megadeth or Iron Maiden. It ends with swirling spacey keys and chimes, very atmospheric and ethereal.

'Oh My Precious Life' has a guitar intro with a darker sound embellished with symphonic keys and an off kilter signature. It builds dramatically to the verses, and a crunchy riff. The vocals are crisp as usual and they balance well with the incessant dirty guitar sound. The tempo is measured and steady and tends to break rhythm unexpectantly. The fast speed riff during the lead solo is captivating and a head banger's delight. Then it breaks the sig back to the main tempo to end with a keyboard swirl that stops abruptly.

'Golden Days' has a strong beat that is slow and layered with dramatic outbursts of guitar and keys. The lyrics are about going back to the golden days, "I hunger for success" and "I find myself invisible, collecting golden days, I could be king, I could be anything" perhaps channelling the thoughts of all band members wishing to break out. The lead solo is mixed to the back along a soundscape of keyboards. The vocals are commensurate to the powerful melodies, with Fevre singing "my time has come" like a cry out for the greatness of the past. This is also the type of feeling that might be locked inside the elderly remembering their youth, "it's the final stage I'm in, I see the light that somehow mesmirise".

'Telltale Eyes' is another fast track beginning with a flurry of guitar riffs and electronic effects. The galloping riffs are precise and breakneck speed along a very unusual time sig. This is fantastic music and again the vocals are clean but no less powerful as some of the growling vocals that usually accompanies fast metal. This is more like Helloween or Iron Maiden style vocals but the music is like Dream Theater or Dragonforce. The riffs continue to bludgeon the scape and then a trade off of synths and lead guitar dominate the instrumental break. One of my favourite songs on this album.

'River' has an atmospheric haunting feel and the intro is creepy and mystical. The drums and guitars take over soon with speedy tempos. The synths are dreamy and quite chilling, and this is a dark river that we are journeying down no doubt. The instrumental section works well after all the vocals previously and at less than 4 minutes in length this is a very well structured track. Fevre's vocals come in briefly later and are echoed and distant like the music itself.

'Circumstanced' ends the album with a slower song at first driven by melodic keys and guitars with Fevre singing in a high register and as crystal clear as one can get, not a single shred of growl in his delivery. There are some weird sounds on this track adding to the atmospheres. The melancholy lyrics are about unrequited love; "Everytime I close my eyes I see you coming back to me." Again, the song features some symphonic key pads and odd time changes. The lead break is emotionally charged to augment the sadness of the song where "nothing seems to matter no more". The song lasts for 9:23 running time and switches into a heavier feel at about the 7 minute mark.

In conclusion, Anubis Gate have produced a solid quality album with enough metal to appease headbangers and enough epic prog melodies and time sigs to conciliate proggers. I was very impressed with the blend of metal and prog and especially the vocals. Fevre is an exceptional singer and really shines on this album. "Anubis Gate" is a prog metal release well worth seeking out.

dtguitarfan Anubis Gate is a band I have been following since A Perfect Forever and yet I never quite "got" them....until this album. I had always felt like I could almost say I loved them but at the same time didn't really care about them. When I heard this album, something clicked, and I found out I really loved this band. I went back and listened to their other albums after I heard this album, and discovered I had been missing quite a bit. Anubis Gate has a unique style for a Progressive Metal band. I think one of the main ingredients that makes them so unique is their vocal harmonies, where they blend together unusual chord progressions with very full harmonies often containing dissonants to fill out the harmony. On top of this, they layer the instrumentals quite well, crafting a complex tapestry of sound. I have discovered I loved this band through this album, and I hope many others will too.

UMUR "Anubis Gate" is the 5th full-length studio album by Danish progressive/power metal act Anubis Gate. The album was released through Nightmare Records in September 2011. The album sees quite a significant lineup change as lead vocalist Jacob Hansen (Invocator) left the band to concentrate his efforts on his producer job and his Hansen Studios. Hansen was the frontman on both of the critically acclaimed albums "Andromeda Unchained (2007)" and "The Detached (2009)". On this album bassist Henrik Fevre has taken on the vocal duties from Jacob Hansen, making Anubis Gate a four-piece. "Anubis Gate" was recorded at Hansen Studios and Jacob Hansen acts as co-producer and is also credited for mixing/mastering the album, so there´s definitely no bad blood between him and the band as a result of him leaving.

The 10 track, 60:24 minutes long album features intelligent and well written progressive/power metal. It´s very well played and well produced too. Henrik Fevre has a slightly less distinct sounding voice than Jacob Hansen, but he is still a strong vocalist and his singing style and voice suits the band´s music well. Compared to the two precessors "Anubis Gate" features slightly less synths, but the sound is still epic with beautiful anthemic choruses and layered instrumental work. They band succeed in incorporating both progressive, power and harder edged thrashy parts to their music which ultimately make the album a varied listen.

"Anubis Gate" is more or less anything you could ask for from a release in the more polished end of the progressive/power metal genre. It´s simply a top notch product in any way possible and a 4 star (80%) rating is deserved.

Stephen I spun this with no historic experiences with ANUBIS GATE's previous albums before so I have no idea what to expect but the result is ultimately rewarding as I stroll the whole album in single spin only to find myself amazed with how the level of musicianship and the depth of the songs are quite a high leap above the average line.

'Hold Back Tomorrow' blew me away instantly, especially on the extremely melodic centerpiece of the song. 'The Re-Formation Show' tried to pull down the tempo and added up a dark atmosphere, just like in the even slower song, 'World In A Dome', both are good but 'Facing Down' attracts my attention more with its dancey arrangement, and God how beautiful is the aggressive pace at 'Desiderio Omnibus' that coupled again with an incredible melodic notes.

There are at least two tracks that I still can't appreciate much. 'Oh My Precious Life' has that psychedelic feel but didn't work out fine with me. 'Golden Days' is only a decent semi-ballad track, not bad but I can live without it. 'Telltale Eyes' is an opposite direction from their melodic side and I love the great instrumental duel here. The last two tracks are the highlights. 'River' sounds very mysterious, chills me to the bone with its gloomy nuance and served as a wonderful bridge to the next track, 'Circumstanced'. This is the longest track, strangely I’m sensing this is a relaxing tune but still sounds very heavy, amazing arrangement and one of my personal fave!

I love this album, though I haven't been able to grasp the whole album fully and might not give this a higher score like the others, I'm convinced that 80% is really the bottom line of this album. 4 stars for an applauding achievement!

Conor Fynes 'Anubis Gate' - Anubis Gate (7/10)

Anubis Gate is a Danish melodic progressive metal act that some may already be well familiar with. This is a band that has been around for quite some time now, having delivered some great melodic power metal in the past decade. The band's sound has been constantly developing into slightly different incarnations, and Anubis Gate continues to deliver with this; their self0titled fifth album. Surfing the web to see what I could dig up on these guys, one thing became very clear to me; that this band has a dedicated fanbase, and are in constant anticipation of what they will do next. With fans having such a, well, fanatical appreciation for the band's music, my hoipes were resting on this album meeting the acclaim people have been giving them. To that end, I have been both impressed and simultaneously disappointed by what this band has done. Anubis Gate's self-titled album s an engaging, powerful, and well-produced piece of melodic prog metal, but at the same time, there is not quite enough here to have the band truly distinguish themselves out of the legions of other likeminded bands out there.

Melodic progressive metal is often something I approach without having the greatest expectations; my experience has seen me through dozens (if not hundreds by this point) of bands that go down the same route of making overly refined and produced melodic metal that lacks bite, ambition, and above all, originality. I will state from the get-go that Anubis Gate is a much better band than many of those which share a similar sound. Especially when it comes to their powerful layerings of sound and the pleasantly acrobatic vocals of their singer and bassist Henrik Fevre, Anubis Gate's well-trodden and modern sound succeeds largely in its execution. The songwriting is strong as well, although by the end of the album, it does feel as if Anubis Gate could use a change of formula in their songwriting, or at least an addition to their sound to make them that much more exciting. That being said, what they do already is very good, and I can remember myself being very impressed by the album's excellent opener 'Hold Back Tomorrow' from my first listen onwards.

'Golden Days' is another highlight here, with a great hook in the chorus and strong layering of melodic guitars. The closing track here shows Anubis Gate opening their sights and becoming more ambitious with the songwriting. 'Circumstanced' (no worries, I misread it the first time as well!) is something of a departure from the concise songwriting for a more dramatic approach to the music, taking its time to build up to a fantastic closer. Anubis Gate's more conventional approach to songwriting is also impressive, but it does begin to feel as if each song shares a little too similar of a structure. The sounds they use for each song can vary however; in parts, Anubis Gate even incorporate electronic sounds into the music, which is something I have heard done much better before, but it adds a surprise or two to the album.

The production here is clear, but there is a feeling it is a little overproduced, when a little more human feeling and organic performance could have let these songs really jump out of the speakers. There are certainly weaknesses and flaws to 'Anubis Gate', but what the album does succeed at, they do incredibly well. Some great performances, tight songwriting, and a strong grasp of melody. A very good album from these Danes.

J-Man The fifth and most recent album from Denmark's premier progressive metal export is sure to have fans talking quite a bit. Jacob Hansen's departure may seem like a pretty massive blow to some Anubis Gate followers, but rest assured - the music on this self titled effort is every bit as strong as any of us would've expected. As a matter of fact, I'd venture to say that Anubis Gate actually exceeds expectations across the board. Sleek, powerful, and modern melodic progressive metal is the name of the game here, and Anubis Gate delivers this style better than any other current act on the scene. Here's an album that's decidedly catchy, melodic, and easily accessible, yet it still contains enough quirky progressive trademarks to satisfy most of the progheads out there. For my money, Anubis Gate is one of the best melodic progressive power metal albums out there.

Rather than replacing Jacob Hansen with a new vocalist, the band instead decided to bring bassist Henrik Fevre up to the microphone; a very good decision in my opinion. Henrik has a very powerful and commanding pair of pipes in my mind, and his distinct delivery is unique from that of many other prog/power metal vocalists. His tasteful and melodic singing is actually one of my favorite aspects of this album. Musically, we're dealing with very sleek and almost commercial sounding progressive metal. Though melodic and polished prog metal typically doesn't appeal that much to me, Anubis Gate delivers the style with so much class and emotion that it's difficult not to be amazed. Catchy yet intricate tracks like "Hold Back Tomorrow", "World In a Dome", or "Golden Days" are absolute masterpieces of the genre.

In many regards, Anubis Gate reminds me of a more modern version of Fates Warning's Parallels or Queensrÿche's Empire. All three of these albums are fantastic examples of top-notch metal music that is both progressive and intricate, yet still easily accessible and melodic. I could easily see this album being right up the alley of fans of the two aforementioned albums, as well as melodic power metal and traditional progressive metal in general. This is much more polished than many fans of 'raw' progressive metal may enjoy, but any open-minded fan of the genre who can handle a sleek production with polished riffs and melodic song structures should be in for a real treat.

I ended up really being blown away by Anubis Gate, and I have a feeling this album will go on to be remembered as one of 2011's strongest progressive metal albums - surely no small feat when you consider how steep the competition is this year! This is a much more polished and accessible slice of melodic prog metal than some fans of the genre may be expecting, but I think it'll be difficult to not be left at least somewhat impressed by this irresistible observation. 4.5 stars are the least I can hand out to Anubis Gate. Although all eyes may be on Dream Theater, Symphony X, and Arch / Matheos right now, every prog metal fan should make sure not to let this gem slip under their radars.

Diogenes Just when Danish prog/power masters Anubis Gate seemed to be hitting their stride, releasing the critically acclaimed The Detached in 2009, vocalist Jacob Hansen stepped down from his duties to focus solely on his career as a producer. This was some pretty bad news to a lot of people, as Hansen’s piercing vocal delivery made The Detached what it was (i.e. really, really good), and yet there was never any concern about the band’s future. Why? Look no further than their new self-titled release, my friends. Great musicianship tends to find ways to survive the rough times (sometimes getting even stronger in the process), and the Danes show us how it’s done once again.

Stylistically speaking, this album sees Anubis Gate leaning more towards the power than the progressive-to call this “progressive power metal” would still technically be correct, but this time it would refer to power metal that’s more advanced, rather than a mix of the two genres. This whole shtick is inconsequential (as are most genre classifications), since this album kicks a whole lot of ass, but it’s still worth noting. I’d say the two outliers in this area would be “World in a Dome” and the majestic album closer “Circumstanced”; both tracks are longer, giving the band more room to work and show off a little more flair. Apart from those, the album is pretty straight-forward, albeit technically proficient as usual. You might be able to call this US power metal on musical steroids (“Telltale Eyes” and “Desiderio Omnibus” are prime examples of this), but the masterful electronic sampling and melodic hooks running rampant remind you that it’s still the best prog/power metal band in Denmark, not some second-rate Iced Earth knockoff. Yep, that’s a relief!

Vocally, bassist Henrik Fevre takes over the position he held part-time during and before the Hansen days. Fevre doesn’t hit the abundance of high notes that were all over the place on the previous two Anubis Gate releases, but rest assured that his voice is still perfectly suited for this type of music-perhaps even more so than Hansen’s. Like the rest of the band, Fevre’s performance on Anubis Gate has an air of both confidence and professionalism about it; nothing over-the-top, but that’s not needed anyway. “Facing Dawn,” in particular, proves that you don’t need any choirs or loads of layered vocals to write a strong chorus, something that many bands seem to have forgotten.

With Hansen still on board as a producer, Anubis Gate sounds equally as wonderful as the rest of the band’s catalogue. Those of you familiar with his production style know what to expect: thick guitars, an excellent snare sound, and an extremely rich aura that surrounds you and just forces every single bit of the music right into your brain. Absolutely flawless engineering, but anything less would not do this album justice whatsoever.

To go with their small change in approach, Anubis Gate made this album more song-based than their last few, which I must say was a wise decision. You won’t find any grand arrangements here; instead, you’ll get a bunch of tracks that really have no big weaknesses. Each one is great in their own right: from the uplifting power of “Golden Days” to the killer guitar work in the opener “Hold Back Tomorrow,” and so on. Consequently, the album is pretty easy to get into (although Anubis Gate have always been accessible for a prog band), although it might not have the astronomic ceiling that The Detached does, which costs it a few points in the end. Still, that should be far, far, down on your list of worries-or not even on it at all.

Writing solid, professional metal is one thing. Doing it on a consistent basis, while enduring multiple vocalist changes and reinventing the overall sound each time, is a completely different story. Anubis Gate may be one of Scandinavia’s best-kept secrets, but at this rate, they’re going to hit it big sooner rather than later…at least, one can hope so, because metal this good deserves to be noticed.

adg211288 Anubis Gate is the self-titled fifth album release from Danish metal act Anubis Gate. The album was released in 2011 and is the first album to feature a four piece line-up of the band following the unexpected departure of vocalist Jacob Hansen, who sang on their prior two albums, Andromeda Unchained (2007) and The Detached (2009). Bassist Henrik Fevre has taken over vocal duties full-time now, after having the odd section of lead vocals on past albums (Take Me Home being a notable track) and having filled in live in between the time the band parted ways with original vocalist Torben Askholm and Hansen’s full-time induction. Fevre is definitely the logical choice for the band, being pretty much the central figure in the line-up despite not being an original member. The rest of the line-up remains unchanged with guitarists Kim Olesen and Jesper M. Jensen and drummer Morten Sørensen. Jacob Hansen remains involved behind the scenes however, co-producing the album with Kim Olesen, as well as mixing and mastering it. In a sense he’s simply returned to the role he held with the band prior to Andromeda Unchained. As Hansen only left during the recording process of the album he still has a handful of writing credits to his name however.

Anubis Gate is widely considered to be a part of the progressive power metal style, but like with their last couple of offerings the album has a lot more to do with progressive metal than it does with power metal. This is probably best considered as being melodic progressive metal, rather than anything to do with power metal even. To be honest I don’t get a lot of a power metal feel from this music. It’s worth noting here that Anubis Gate is the band’s most progressive album to date, although this only becomes apparent a few tracks into the album when the eight minute World In A Dome kicks in, and is most noticeable in some of the later tracks. One thing you’ll note as well though is how the tracks have different feels and styles going on, adds some small additional layers of progressive influence in that they don’t stick to any tried and tested templates. Each track has its own identity if you will.

Now I really feel that Anubis Gate has a tough act to follow with this album. They set their own bar really high with Andromeda Unchained, and then proceeded to set it as high as it can go with their flawless fourth album The Detached. The way I see it some bands can make several albums of the highest calibre in their career, such as Iron Maiden, while some only manage one or perhaps two masterpieces, while others remain strong and consistent but never really deliver a true gem. Some artists within the first category can even do them one after the other. Anubis Gate is one of the few artists I’m aware of that fits into this small and exclusive group, and as of this album they prove that they can certainly do it in style.

Henrik’s Fevre’s vocals on the album don’t sound so far removed from Jacob Hansen’s style, which is definitely a good thing, as his style was really fitting to Anubis Gate’s brand of progressive metal. Naturally he has his own tone to his voice but it’s not hard to imagine this material with Hansen, or the prior Hansen material with Fevre. Jacob Hansen leaving was originally a great disappointment to me when I heard the news, but Henrik slips into the dual bass/vocalist role with total ease, delivering a faultless and varied performance throughout. If there were any doubts about Henrik fronting the band before then he destroys them all with this performance. I have to be honest I did have a few, mostly because of his lead vocal contributions on previous albums weren’t really as good as the actual lead singer’s in my opinion, or indeed as good as they are on this album for that matter. But yes, doubts utterly destroyed in this case.

This is a more song based album throughout than the Hansen fronted albums. That means no introduction or outro tracks, or any interludes. The album kicks off with the seven minute Hold Back Tomorrow. This reminds me a lot of Find a Way (or Make One) from The Detached in the way that it follows what appears to be a standard verse-chorus song structure, but vary the way they deliver the chorus, albeit less so than on Find a Way. So there are some aspects of repeating themselves on Anubis Gate, but it’s just as good song that they can be forgiven for it, especially since the album as the whole introduces some approaches new to the band and the album does in general, such as some electronic sounds, which to my surprise works to great effect (usually for me metal plus electronic stuff is a no go), and overall the album has its own feel to it in much the same way as their past few albums did, which also includes A Perfect Forever (2005) and to a slightly lesser extent their debut album Purification (2004). It doesn’t feel like a prior album re-worked in other words.

The use of keyboards (which are mostly handled by Kim Olesen) seems to have taken a different role in Anubis Gate’s sound on this album, with some parts even pushing into symphonic territory. As if in answer to that the album also has several parts where the intensity of the guitars of Kim Olesen and Jesper M. Jensen has been turned up to eleven, such as in Desiderio Omnibus, which also features some very impressive lead work, and is one of their heaviest tracks to date, in fact this is easily their heaviest album to date despite the sense of melody on display. To further add to the variety of the album they also include Golden Days, a track which pushes commercial boundaries but works well in the context of a melodic progressive metal album, and also the mid-paced The Re-Formation Show, which showcases a slightly more laid back Anubis Gate but of course no less interesting and not to forget the mostly instrumental River.

As per usual for Anubis Gate the album treads the line between being progressive and being accessible. Anubis Gate isn’t going to wow you with the sort of lengthy and technical compositions in the manner of acts like Dream Theater, but neither is their music only really flirting with progressive tendencies, such as with Evergrey. Instead they find a balance between the two, and their song based progressive metal sounds extremely powerful on this album, which also comes complete with a professional production that showcases the music to great effect. I’d expect nothing less of a Jacob Hansen production.

The only thing I really dislike about the album is the way the otherwise excellent track Oh My Precious Life abruptly ends. It feels like part of the song is missing when this happens. This said it doesn’t really bother me enough for it to deduct from my overall listening experience and I did get used to it after I’d heard the track a couple of times, but I do feel obligated to at least mention it. It’s the only negative thing I have to say for this release; otherwise I wouldn’t change a thing about it. Even with masterpiece albums there may be a couple of little niggles to be found within it, and for me this is the one niggle on Anubis Gate, and to be honest it’s one that is quickly forgotten about, and that’s probably because they get me caught up in the lyrical hooks of Golden Days right after it that I find myself more inclined to sing along with the chorus than to worry about the sudden cut off of the previous track.

So other than this little niggle though Anubis Gate simply represents that this is a band that are not only still at the top of their game after two masterpieces, but they fully deserve recognition as being one of the finest modern progressive metal acts around at the moment. Not many albums are worth a truly perfectly score. The Detached was one of them...and this is too, since as I said, the little blip that was Oh My Precious Life’s sudden end doesn’t really deduct from my listening experience. That makes Anubis Gate in my opinion the band’s second truly perfect album in a row. I love this band, but I wasn’t expecting that. I was expecting perhaps still in the same tier of excellence, but not perfect. I mean come on, two perfect albums in a row is too good to be true right? The album is however just as good as The Detached and deserves to be acknowledged as such. I guess if I was feeling harsh I could deduct a marginal point (0.1/10 at most) from my final rating for the one blip, but this is the best album I’ve heard from its year, and 2011 has been an extremely strong year for metal music, especially progressive metal, and even with new releases from prog metal giants Dream Theater and Opeth, Anubis Gate is the one standing on top of the pile. Even such a minimal point deduction would be too harsh for this album. Pat yourselves on the back guys, you’ve really delivered the goods here, these really are your golden days.

(Originally written for Heavy Metal Haven, scored at 10.0/10, "Masterpiece/Classic Album")