Album Reviews : Anythium – The Awakening

I’m usually the type to encourage experimentation and variety in all musical forms, but there are some combinations that irk me; not because of personal taste, but because each style does a disservice to the other. With the debut release from Melbourne’s Anythium, the band have proved that their influences are vast and they aren’t afraid to try something different, however the contrasting styles may do little more than polarise potential fans.

While the band unashamedly labels the various kings of nu-metal as their influences, their sound is much less consistent. Opener “Wasted” is based around power, both vocally and musically, with some very Angela Gossow-esque growls from vocalist Mauze, followed by “What It Takes To Walk Away” which pulls back a notch with a rather groovy stoner-ish main riff. “Against The Wall” heads straight into nu-metal territory with a few faster, almost rap-like vocals, before the album breaks down for two much more melodic closers. “All This Time” wanders somewhat aimlessly for the first half, with clear female vocals over some subdued clean guitars that lack in both atmosphere and emotion, and closer “As You Were” finishes the album off in pop rock territory.

It’s that development from somewhat heavy riff-based metal through to melody based almost-pop that simply falls flat and, despite the fact that it seems to be becoming trendy to mix vastly different genres, actually might make their music that bit less accessible; where listeners enjoy one or the other.

Combine that with the somewhat uninspired riffs featured throughout, and The Awakening doesn’t have a whole lot to offer, but it does hold some promise. Occasional moments show a hint of a band that is much more progressive (within genre constraints) than this seventeen minute shows. Vocalist Mauze, essentially the sole element that makes them stand out as a band, has an absolutely superb voice and is more than adequate in both the clean and rough areas, with a few vocal elements snuck in to really boost her variety.

So while The Awakening falls flat as a release, it shows slivers of promise as a debut. With a bit more focus on balancing styles, and a bit of careful thought into how the heavier and more beauty-oriented parts can complement each other, Anythium could turn out to be something quite different in the local scene. 5/10

Band: Anythium
Album: The Awakening
Year: 2010
Genre: Nu-metal/Rock
Origin: Melbourne, Australia
Label: Independent
http://www.myspace.com/anythium

Track listing:
1. Wasted <- Reviewers choice
2. What It Takes To Walk Away
3. Against the Wall
4. All This Time
5. As You Were