BLACK ANIMA is one of those cool Black Metal projects where the members throw out of the window the how to record an album manual and enter the studio to record whatever they feel like. This is exactly the case with Savopipo and Astaroth who have already put out the new BLACK ANIMA album as a free download via their MySpace page, www.myspace.com/blackanima.

The album starts with a cool intro; under some classic music melodies Savopipo fills his glass with beer and explains with a warm voice (it reminded me of English teaching cassettes) that the album was made to help him battle his inner demons. And then comes an 8-track Black Metal assault. With MAYHEM-meets-IMMORTAL vocals Savopipo hits us with shard repetitive riffs and the trademark blastbeats to go with. There is no distinct structure here; the songs jump from the Norwegian Black Metal sounds to the more mainstream attitude of nowadays' extreme Metal scene. The songs are fast, heavy and come with a raw sound that is so missed by the latest Black Metal releases. The only complaint I can make here is the use of a drum machine that takes some of the energy these guys have brought in the studio. You cannot have a nice bass sound besides the 'dry' and hollow sound of a machine. Though you cannot distinguish entire songs, there are killer parts like the BATHORY-oriented break in "Spread The Darkness" that can warm your neck as it leads you towards the blastbeats and the echoed screams. "The Enochian Keys" has an epic feeling and a killer mid-tempo chorus with some cult lyrics that fit the general unholy atmosphere like a glove.

"The End Is Near" is a nice surprise entering with some clean guitar chords and almost melodic (should I use the "Gothic" term here?) vocals that has little to do with the rest of the album. The guitar distortion welcomes a really interesting solo that overall made me push the play button a couple of times more. "Rusted Thorns Of Scorn" gets the listener back to the humid and dark caves of occult Black Metal, bringing along a MASTER'S HAMMER breeze along until the over-electronically remixed "Kvick I Jord". This track serves the purpose of an outro, highlighting once more the word "project" in BLACK ANIMA's biography.

As I said, the expense to get this album is zero; so, if this review touched your Black Metal chords then visit theBLACK ANIMA MySpace, download the album and post a nice comment!