Review: ANLMA, "Secular Eden"

ANLMA- Secular Eden
Secular Eden is coming soon.

    In 2012, a progressive metal act formed from the ashes of New York local metalcore outfit We Are Outnumbered. This band was Perspectives, and while they were metalcore through-and-through, their new prog-metal twist showed quite some promise. Over the next few years, they would tighten up their songwriting and change their name again to ANLMA to signify their evolution. This led to the release of their debut EP, Pilot, on New Year's Day in 2016. ANLMA proved that they were one of the stronger acts to come out of the recent progressive metal scene, with a good mix of the more extreme prog of Opeth and Meshuggah and the nicer, cleaner side of things found in Periphery and The Contortionist’s more recent catalogue. Songs like “Kaiju” and “Damnation” remain some of my favorite progressive metal songs of this decade. Of course, there were things that I felt the band needed to work on, but I could see these guys having a very bright future. It’s been nearly three years since, and the group has come back with a brand new concept LP, Secular Eden.
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    Secular Eden looks into the the process of inhabiting a new world, and the greed that eventually leads to its demise. Right from the first track, “Sentience,” we see the first red flag: the notion that an individual can become God. ANLMA’s characters are always trying to prove that they are the best at what they do. The first lyric of “Alpha Collective” is literally “We are the dominant species,” a sentiment reevaluated on “Grand Inheritance”: “It seems we are not the elite...We thought ourselves to be/All-powerful/Ever-knowing/But now that we are brought to our knees/We crawl at the mercy of…” “Jormungandr” denotes the first steps towards destruction, continually building until the grand finale, when the cost of playing God finally comes to collect, and the world pays.

    Sonically, Secular Eden is a breath of fresh air for progressive metal. In a genre that has done everything but progress recently, ANLMA bring a variety of influences to the tracklist. The Pilot EP wore its The Contortionist and The Faceless fandom a little too obviously, but while it’s still noticeable (“Grand Inheritance” takes a very Opeth approach to its acoustics), the song takes a few original turns, becoming more ANLMA than hero worship. Their metalcore roots poke through on “Jormungandr,” and even parts of “Grand Inheritance” in the form of a gnarly breakdown and a guest feature from Peter Rono (Kaonashi.) We also have some pretty jumpy, hyperactive songs like the lead single, “Alpha Collective,” and “The Augury.”  

    The guitar work, handled by Antonio d’Aquino and Julian Barahona, is always precise, well-constructed, and varied. They can go from playing intense and heavy on “Jormungandr” to sweet and delicate. “Alpha Collective” finds a fitting instrumental match to its euphoric lyrics, and its emotional contrast with “Grand Inheritance” feels natural. There’s a nice groove on this track provided by bassist Dario Baez, which is something I wish mined a little more. Technical metal has a tendency to push the bass guitar to the back, which is unfortunate considering the quality work of most prog-metal bassists. But when this LP settles into its softer, groovier moments, you get a nice peek at Baez’s fantastic performance.

    The drum work on Secular Eden is absolutely monstrous. Claudel Meja has had a busy three years between Pilot and working on emo act GaL’s What We’ve Lost. Now on Secular Eden, we see his best work to date. His sense of rhythm on “Jormungandr,” once again, is impeccable, giving the song real teeth. He’s at his best on the proggier tracks such as “Desistance,” where he carries the track through all its different phases, affirming his indispensable role in ANLMA’s sound. His drums sound more natural and hard-hitting on this album as opposed to the electronic drums found on their previous EP, allowing him to explore interesting new textures and beats.

    Vocally, ANLMA has upped their game immensely. Sekou Joshua’s vocals on this record are nothing short of some of the most passionate harsh vocals I’ve heard in recent progressive metal, varying from insane lows to gnarly hardcore-style vocals to wild screams. He means every word. Contrasting his performance is Antonio d’Aquino, who has grown more comfortable in his spot as clean vocalist, willing to test out less formulaic patterns and explore his own voice. “Alpha Collective” showcases a beautiful counterpoint between Joshua’s harsh vocals and d’Aquino’s lovely singing. They get quite creepy at points, too, especially on the softer parts of “Desistance,” where he sings lines like “It’s far too cold for nostalgia/To ever awaken now/So please let me sleep with all/My warmest memories” in an eerie, somber tone that sends chills down my spine. They come across far more relaxed and organic than on Pilot, which felt rushed at times.

    Secular Eden just feels natural, a totally unforced evolution of the sound ANLMA have been perfecting over the years. This isn’t to say it doesn’t have its issues. The album is designed as a front-to-back listen, which makes it hard to pick out the strengths of individual tracks. Furthermore, I’d only really listen to “Sentience” and “The Augury” on one of these full-album listens. About a half-hour into the project, you realize there’s only the title-track left: an almost seventeen-minute-long behemoth that serves as a conclusion to Secular Eden’s apocalyptic sci-fi odyssey. It’s broken into four parts: “Second Awakening,” “Visions,” “Road to Purgatory,” and “Judgement and Deliverance.”

    The first part plays out like a typical ANLMA track: relatively proggy, strong Between the Buried and Me vibes, with a melodic bit part for Antonio to do his thing. An instrumental passage leads into a breakdown to announce “Visions,” featuring a gnarly verse from Andy Reynolds (Shame Spiral) that, in turn, leads into a beautifully-constructed tearjerker chorus. An acoustic break guides us into the gentle “Road to Purgatory.” d’Aquino’s voice builds us toward what is arguably my favorite breakdown of 2018, a panic-chord infested good time that recalls Bless the Martyr-era Norma Jean in its destructive power, signifying the end of the world (for those following the album concept). The final chorus kicks in, plaintively asking, “Will we ever learn?” “Secular Eden” (and Secular Eden) ends with a last breakdown, and the song promptly joins Periphery’s “Racecar” and Between the Buried and Me’s “Silent Flight Parliament” in the league of incredible progressive metal album closers of the '10s. It’s really the only way it could have ended.

    In 48 minutes, Secular Eden teaches us the folly of playing God and shows us we have much to learn about our world before we move off the planet to repeat the mistakes we made here. Incidentally, ANLMA also offer us one of the strongest progressive metal albums of the ’10s. You’ll get something out of this record whether you’re into heavy breakdowns or more technical, progressive flavors. I don't know when this record will drop, but when it does, it will be worth the wait.

VERDICT: Secular Eden has everything a progressive metal concept album should in 2018: a strong story and a powerful message performed by passionate, honest musicians.

- Alex Brown