Anatomia/Undergang - Split

The sound of advanced decay.

(Originally submitted to the Metal Archives on June 23rd 2022) 

Caveman death metal has been at what is arguably peak popularity over the past few years. It’s a style that prides itself in its simplicity, and there’s a certain honesty to its dedication to death metal’s primitive side that I can’t help but admire. Undergang are the scene’s undisputed leaders at this point, and not without reason. They’ve mastered the art of “the riff” and have been proving that consistently for the past decade now. As for Japan’s Anatomia, they’ve made quite a name for themselves in death/doom circles, although I never warmed up to them much. So it was only natural that these underground giants would collaborate for a rather stirring split, which serves as the topic of this review.

Truth be told, I didn’t go into Anatomia’s side with the highest expectations, especially after seeing that the opener, “Total Darkness”, was almost 12 minutes long. Memories of the drudging 21-minute borefest that was “Mortem”, the closer from 2021’s Corporeal Torment immediately sprang to mind, and I was fully prepared to sink into my couch until it was over. To my surprise, it wasn’t half bad. Sure, it maintained a steady slow-to-mid paced gait but it actually played around with a couple of riffs and built a neat atmosphere through repetition and the addition of a couple of wailing leads and sinister guitar lines. All that is in stark contrast to their other track here, “Bound to Death”. This one is a real kick in the teeth, with a much higher tempo and a punkier feel, thanks to the drumming. It’s a nice palate cleanser, owing to its direct nature, but it too boasts a long-winded doom section with some creeping lead work, culminating in an explosive climax. While I’m still not completely sold on their style, the songs presented here ever so slightly entice me to check out some of their other work.

Truth be told, I came here for the Undergang side of the split, and it met expectations. The bludgeoning riffs are present in spades, and the band plays around with tempos and melody, in a way only they could pull off. “I Dit Stiveste Pus” kicks things off with a crushing syncopated groove, aided by a haunting off-kilter melody, before launching off into some double-bass driven verses, and segments that are surprisingly fast by their standards. It’s always a pleasant surprise to see the band try their hand at writing fast stuff every once in a while, because they really help shake things up and add more variety to the songs. “Taksidermi” is also another standout, albeit for the opposite reason. This one has a doomier atmosphere, largely reminiscent of Døden læger alle sår, one of my favourite works of theirs. It too features some bone-rattling riffing that slowly creeps up on the listener and steadily works its way through a simplistic riff set, supplemented by some sparse, yet effective, lead work. It’s a fitting end to the release, especially with how the track ends with some rather ominous growling and gurgling with the drum kicks echo underneath. As expected, Undergang came through with another quality batch of songs, as they tend to do.

Regarding the production, both sides are quite solid, leaving little, if anything, to be desired. Anatomia sports a very Autopsy-flavoured sound, particularly in the bass’ plonking tone being reminiscent of Severed Survival, though it isn’t as loud as on that album. As for the other instruments, they’re standard fare, though well executed for the most part. The guitars are chunky with a bit of buzz to them, and the drums are a bit of a mixed bag. The cymbals have a lot of reverb and echo through the songs, which is cool, but the kicks and the snare are somewhat muted, taking some power away from the songs.

As for Undergang’s side, it’s very much in line with what we’ve heard on Aldrig i livet, a perfect fit for the tracks here. The guitars have that trademark murky and disgusting tone, supplemented by the crackling rumble of the bass, with the thudding drums providing a solid foundation for the band to build upon. They’ve long since found their sound in the production department, so one already knows what to expect on that front, and that’s heaps upon heaps of filth.

On the whole, this split is guaranteed to satisfy anyone looking for a serving of slow and dirty death metal. Neither band presents something new here, but they do what they do best, providing a gore-drenched listening experience. Admittedly, Anatomia’s work here is much more engaging than what I expected, so bonus points to them for that. It might not have turned me into a fan but it has rekindled my interest in them. As for Undergang, I knew what I was getting myself into, and the added details here only furthered my enjoyment of their side of the split. Really, if you like either of those bands you won’t regret listening to this, do yourselves a favour and check it out if you haven’t done so already.

Highlights: Bound to Death, I Dit Stiveste Pus, Taksidermi

Rating: 86%