Annihilist - Reform (Album Review)
Annihilist - Reform
Released: October 18, 2024
Line Up
Harry Pendock // Vocals
Miki Simankevicius // Guitar
Josh Voce // Guitar
Toby Peterson-Stewart // Bass
James Sayers // Drums
Online
When I came across this on streaming my immediate thought was - who are these guys? Because this is not the sound of a band making their first album. Annihilist aren’t exactly unknown, having released an EP in 2015, while guitarist Miki Simankevicius lays down riffs in Gravemind, Josh Voce plays in Malcura and bassist Tony Peterson-Stewart pummels strings with The Omnific. Reform then has a dual meaning as the band come back together for a full LP and their lyrics tackle social change. It’s a ferocious and accomplished debut that melds influences and rejects trends.
It’s apparent from opener ‘Blood’ that Annihilist knows a thing or two about making killer metal. There’s enough shade to their songwriting so that it isn’t a death metal onslaught of double and growls, even though that’s how ‘Blood’ starts, since the guitars don’t mind showcasing some tapping before digging into a groove. Vocalist Harry Pendock does have an awesome growl but, rather than switching with a fully clean sing, he has a rustic style more reminiscent of Randy Blythe or Winston McCall. It totally works here too. There’s a fair melting pot of genres, with ‘N.M.E’ using staccato kick drums, a pinch of groove and dash of thrash.
‘The Upsend’ again has James Sayers kick the drums hard with the riffs playing along in a melodic death metal style, while Pendock barks. Simankevicius and Voce really get their melodic stuff in here with a brief acoustic section before a few more bars of the breakdown. The album heads towards epic with the choral vocals on ‘Guillotine’ introducing a slamming riff for mosh pits.
Annihilist really shine when they demonstrate they are more than just bludgeoning and heavy. The album features a series of instrumental acoustic tracks as segues between songs, giving listeners a chance to chill and showing off some impressive expressive guitar chops. The trio - ‘.epistola’, ‘.chronicon’, and finale ‘.recensio’ - are backed by synths and create a brooding atmosphere. ‘.epistola’ leads into the classical guitar intro of ‘The Flame’, a song with some freakin’ cool solos and leads. Likewise comes ‘Virus’, with a haunting picked riff that drops into a dark djent, fist-pumping tour de force. It’s at this point that it’s obvious they have way bigger ambitions and have the technical prowess to pull it off.
‘Better Off’ is the tech metal masterpiece that has been hinted at throughout the album, with some seriously precise musicianship and an ungodly vocal performance. It’s occasionally repetitive in the bridges but otherwise a surefire pit starter. Their progressive side comes through on ‘The Host’, channelling a symphony worthy of a John Carpenter film or a Left 4 Dead game. It’s sublime, with some twists and turns before coming to a melodic conclusion. I can’t recall hearing anything quite like the guitar solo in a long time.
Who are Annihilist? They’re a band who have a thirst for multifaceted metal that reflects the bleak world we live in. It’s exciting musically, without being trendy, and works as both an expression of technical playing and just getting bruised in a circle pit. It’s incredibly consistent too, with never a dull moment.
Reform ticks a lot of boxes and is a must-listen for metalheads who worship bands from Lamb of God and Parkway Drive to early Opeth or Gojira.
Annihilist - Reform Tracklisting
1. Blood
2. N.M.E
3. The Upend
4. Guillotine
5. .epistola
6. The Flame
7. .chronicon
8. Virus
9. Better Off
10. The Host
11. .recensio
Rating: 9 / 10
Reform is out now on Human Warfare. Stream it here.
Review by KJ Draven (Twitter X and Instagram).
