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.

dtguitarfan Wow. Futuristic. Thunderously heavy. But a band that knows when to pull back and wait for crescendo. Anubis Gate has a knack for laying textures on top of each other to weave a complex pattern. Another trait I find descriptive of the band is how they use very interesting vocal harmonies - very full, rich chords. The band lost their vocalist after A Perfect Forever, and their producer, Jacob Hansen, stepped up to the plate, and what a powerful voice he has - very reminiscent of Geoff Tate from Queensryche. The name of the band, Anubis Gate, was taken from a Science Fiction novel, and I find the sound of the band characterizes this base in Sci Fi very well. The album, Andromeda Unchained, is a concept album with a very good, unusually well developed (for a concept album) Science Fiction plot. I am incredibly impressed with how much though the band puts into their lyrics and the plot of their concepts. This is an excellent listen, and a very underrated band that belongs with the rankings of the more well know Progressive Metal bands like Fates Warning, Symphony X, and even Dream Theater.

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 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.

The 10 track, 60:24 minutes long album features intelligent progressive/power metal. Well composed, well played and well produced. Henrik Fevre has a slightly less distinct voice than Jacob Hansen, but he is still a great singer who 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 in their music which ultimately makes the album a varied listen.

"Anubis Gate" is more or less anything you could ask for in the more polished part 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.