Anti-Genesis (On the 8th Day I Destroy Godcreation)

Last Episode was a more or less big player in terms of (German) black metal labels at the end of the millennium. They released “Anti-Genesis” 25 years ago in 1998 – and I can remember the advertisement for the output. Once again I have to admit that I have become an old geezer. I never dived deeply into the album so far, but now I think it’s time to do this. So where to start? Well, artworks are not the most important element of an album, but the one of “Anti-Genesis” always had and still has a fascinating aura for me. I like the blurred, occult picture with the sacral architecture in the back ground and the (revolutionary?) crowd. The guy in the corner seems to show the people the way and it seems that this way leads directly into perdition. Suitably, the sound of the album is as blurred as its artwork. This is the guilt of the guy who gave the keyboards a lot of room. They create a constant fog that deprives the guitars of their sharp edges. Given this fact, the album sounds somehow polished and unclean at the same time. Worse still, the mix appears pretty flat. Thus, the song material is facing difficult conditions.

Anyway, “Nocturnal Horizon” sets the course. It delivers heroic drama, a relatively melodic frame and unfortunately an overdose of back vocals-like keyboards. A rather awkward break hurts the opener’s flow, nevertheless, this is a solid start. It just lacks sheer ferocity and frenzy. Worse still, the second track has the same problem. It’s an actually cool number, but if this is really the soundtrack to “God’s Downfall”, God falls softly. In view of these two pieces, I advise binary thinking: are they too bad or good enough to enjoy them? I would say the latter. But as the album progresses, it gets evident that Eminenz are not immune against monotony. The uniformity of the songs and their quite tiring mid-tempo lead to a somewhat tiring overall impression. The same goes for the not omnipresent, but effusively used double bass. Some elements work, for example the bells in “Army of Immortals”, but the cruel undertone black metal should have is missing.

And so I am sitting here, listening to the album, but my thoughts drift away pretty quickly. While I think about this and that, I consume the acceptable songs without enthusiasm. Eminenz cannot hide that their incompetency concerning the creation of exciting songs with a non-predictable flow. Well, “incompetency” is surely too negative, but I hope you know what I mean. The final kick is missing and that’s a pity; it makes no sense to offer an instrumental (“Grey Souls”) without any special moment. It just lengthens the release. Additionally, the fact that the guitars do not stand in the center of the production is disappointing. Discreetly integrated keyboards can create fantastic moods, but here they nearly suffocate any hint of an atmosphere. Conclusion: each and every song is more or less okay, but the album’s total score must be less than the sum of its single parts.