STYGIA, from Peru, keeps up with the South American tradition of Death Metal. A warning first: purists please stay away from this. “Anthems” features a raw production. There are no triggers, no sampling or ridiculously compressed mastering. And even though every instrument is clear and natural, the mix lacks heaviness. Also, sometimes the execution may be a little sloppy. Alas, I think these little details build up to an undeniable mid-80s feeling. STYGIA plays evil music, as in the vein of country-mates HADEZ’ early works with some ATOMIC AGGRESSOR thrashy moments thrown here and there. Basically, this is unadulterated Death Metal. The songs have a nice flow and the constant variation never lets down. Now, the album by itself is only 23 minutes long, including intro/outro. 3 songs off their 2006 Promo CD and 2 live songs round the package for “Anthems”. The live songs are in a decent bootleg quality and the promo songs have a surprising good sound. Sincerely I don’t get the idea behind all the bonus material, since 3 songs are repeated. I guess the band just wanted to include more material for their debut album. Anyway, STYGIA’s “Anthems” is a good album that exudes evilness and hatred. A really good and honest effort. Already looking forward to their next release. You can find all their info here: www.stygia.tk, www.myspace.com/stygia, www.myspace.com/gateofhorror