ANKHARA
“SINERGIA”
Album Review by Iron Mathew

9/10

Ankhara are a heavy metal band from Spain formed in 1995, releasing their debut album ‘Dueno del tiempo’ in 1999. ‘II’ followed in 2001, with ‘Sombras del pasado’ a 2003 release, the band splitting in 2004, reforming in 2013, and releasing their fourth album ‘Sinergia’ in 2018.

When has language ever really been a barrier for heavy metal ? Has it ever really stopped our listening pleasure if the band doesn’t sing in English ? For me, the answer to both these questions has always been a “no” – and with the latest offering from Spanish metallers Ankhara, the answer is still a “no”. The new album opens with a blistering avalanche of raucous riffage, and immediately, the classic sound of traditional heavy metal slaps you very hard around the head. ‘Te Toca Sufrir’ is a heavy hitting, heavy slice of thundering heavy metal, that just gets more thundery with the fierce and much heavier ‘Ayudame’. Displaying melodic tendencies as the chorus break plays through, ‘Ayudame’ is a blundering, bombastic burst of explosive energy. The sound of the iconic NWOBHM takes front and centre, with the fast paced foot on the monitor romp ‘Suena’. A head banger of the hardest and heaviest nature, ‘Suena’ is high velocity, full tilt heavy metal.

Caught up in the adrenaline rush of head bang able heavy metal, I really don’t care what language the songs are sung in, this is addictive and infectious heavy metal to raise your fists high and punch the air in delight. Mellowness and power ballad sounding, ‘Libertad’ opens like a lazy Sunday morning stroll to the local shop to buy your Sunday newspaper…becoming a purposeful and heavy stomp back home. ‘Libertad’ is heavy hitting mid tempo melodic heavy metal that will raise smiles on the faces of fans all around the world. Smiles that will only get wider as the power metal infused romper ‘Sigo en Pie’ takes flight and runs amok. The best song on offer by the biggest country mile you’ve ever seen, ‘Sigo en Pie’ is a corker, a classic cacophony of foot on the monitor style heavy metal. It has pace, purpose and an urgency that will get pulses racing fast. ‘En la Oscuridad’ brings forth the balld sound, taking a leisurely stroll through ballad territory, raising lighters high and moving listeners from side to side with its meandering rhythm. A classic sounding power ballad, ‘En la Oscuridad’ gives fans a breather from the electric pace and power of the albums first half.

Moving into the second half, ‘Tu Ultima Vez’ swiftly returns the albums earlier bombastic, purpose filled romping. Savagely hitting hard like a sledge hammer smashing concrete, ‘Tu Ultima Vez’ will bang heads hard as it steams on by at full tilt. With their fourth album, Ankhara are displaying a penchant for the galloping heavy metal style most associated with the NWOBHM genre, keeping the sound of traditional heavy metal alive and well, forty years after its inception… And there it is once again, the glorious buzz guitar sound of the NWOBHM, featuring prominently, as ‘De Que Lado Estas’ gallops along at a high pace. Infectious to the bone, ‘De Que Lado Estas’ is catchy and will have you hooked from start to finish. The album is brought to a close with ‘Un Buen Dia Para Morir’, displaying some of the heaviest riffage on the album. Heavier than the proverbial wrecking ball, ‘Un Buen Dia Para Morir’ is heavy/power metal with very much a European feel to it. Nine songs across forty furious minutes, and Ankhara have delivered a gem of an album that is gonna be lapped up by fans of the NWOBHM and traditional heavy metal genres.

Overall, a bombastic and electrically charged romp of galloping heavy metal to get your head banging hard.

TRACKLIST

Te Toca Sufrir
Ayudame
Sueria
Libertad
Sigo en Pie
En la Oscuridad
Tu Ultima Vez
De Que Lado Estas
Un Buen Dia Para Morir

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