When I received this demo from ANAEL, I originally expected them to be some kind of a SAMAEL clone or something like that. Just compare both names (SAMAEL / ANAEL), their logo looks almost like the old SAMAEL one, same goes for the simple b/w design and demo title which heavily reminds me on the "Worship Him" album. Furthermore the (alter ego) names that the two musicians are using are also kinda close (Seraphackh and Primenmathon). But listening to their three own songs (plus instrumental intro), these guys are obviously taking their music very serious. They have come up with an incredibly simple and (for the most parts) very doomy songwriting, which often comes across like a Black Metal version of HELLHAMMER or early SAMAEL (…) to me. Unlike many bands in the current underground scene ANAEL are obviously more concerned to create atmosphere and feeling instead of delivering top notch musicianship and sterile production. Don’t get me wrong, the sound on this demo ain’t bad at all – it’s raw, but very well produced, while the music lives off its overall simplicity and the very well executed and totally convincing Black Metal vocals. I’m not sure if a full length ANAEL album would still impress me in the same way (therefore at least a couple of uptempo parts should be included in order to get a more varied result), but this demo here is definitely worth checking out. Send 10,-DM (ppd. in Germany) to: Thomas Rode, Ortsstr. 79a, 07356 Ruppersdorf, Germany, email: Anael@gotos.zzn.com