10th July 2023

Review: “On the Cursed Wings of Stolas” by Anomaly

Just eight months after their sophomore album “Somewhere Within The Pines” surfaced from the Black Lagoon, Milwaukee Wisconsin quintet Anomaly have returned to space to bring us “On the Cursed Wings of Stolas“. That would be another three songs of Melodic Technical Death Metal with a touch of the Progressive, recorded, mixed and mastered by Ryan Kutz at Cherry Pit Studios from guitarist and vocalist Neil Tidquist, keys and electronics master Mary Beers, bassist Dan Stachowiak, guitarist John Ibarra and drummer Duane Timlin…

Unlike the 50 minute magnum opus that was the bands last album, this trio of cuts clock in at just 14 minutes, each one a rampaging vicious little ditty of bloodthirsty intent. Opening with the title track “On the Cursed Wings of Stolas” the band show no remorse or regret for the unrelenting quality of the material that they produce, making the most of what can only be considered a prolific streak in writing, composition and performance in order to make themselves heard. The title track is ominous and foreboding with a sense of impending doom lingering in the background like Beers icy electronics behind the scorching riffs, the band quite literally reaching cinematic new heights with this monsterous sound. A spoken word feels like it’s from a computer in an 80’s science fiction horror film before the scalding solo takes hold. “Beyond the Kardashev Scale” then packs a groove laden punch, sonically launching the band into Bleeding Through territory before Tidquist’s barbed tongue spits the venomous lyrics in vicious style. The title of the song references the work of Kardashev from 1964 in proposing a method of measuring a civilizations level of technological advancement based on the amount of energy it is able to use, confirming that the intelligence of musicianship is matched by the quality and time invested in the lyrics. The chorus is so damned catchy it’s unreal despite its brutality. “Architect” maintains the flow of lava from volcano to the sea, the intertwining leads creating a depth of harmony of which Trivium would be proud before swinging back for another sublime, face melting solo. The sheer power of what the Anomaly have created should not be underestimated for they are a force to be reckoned with [8.5/10]

Track Listing