The grim picture in the new album's cover artwork speaks for itself: this is the most brutal and malevolent album offered by GLORIA MORTI till now. "Anthems Of Annihilation" the front side speaks and what a fitting title this is. The third album unleashed by the Finnish metallers - if the "crucial 3rd" myth still applies - shall probably let the quintet hold the key to the main hall of Black/Death Metal the European way. And imagine GLORIA MORTI started out as a Thrash Metal legion...

Putting aside sarcastic comments possibly to be made by old-school primitive Black Metal raiders, "Anthems Of Annihilation" sees the brutal side of GLORIA MORTI being reinforced with a solid production and some wicked drumming in favor of the hateful side of the band's music. Still, melodic bridges and some really fitting melodic solos are again here to honor the songs' more velvet attribute. Weird thing is the album was recorded at guitarist Juho Räihä's personal studio while being mixed by Svante Forsbäck (RAMMSTEIN, SOULFLY) and the final product does exceed both facts: the sound is massive and if you think only bands like DIMMU BORGIR or CRADLE OF FILTH can flirt with mastery in this genre then "Anthems Of Annihilation" is here ready to deliver (and dos not sound like anything related to RAMMSTEIN or SOULFLY too...).

Apart from the DB or COF relation mentioned above, bands like ZYKLON, BEHEMOTH or OLD MAN'S CHILD shall also come to mind while torturing yourself in these 40 minutes of keyboard-saluted Black/Death torment, with a lyrics concept based on "...mankind making an irreversible mistake in trying to overcome all of its biggest problems..." reminding of (or glorifying) "...the stupidity of man". The sense of grief, non-reverse destruction and sci-fi terror is wide spread in the album's songs and Psycho surely helps in this direction. He sounds demonized at times and his Black Metal shrieks - even if not that majestic - tie well with the keyboard atmosphere created back and forth.

Acting like a driving force in the melodic/pompous Black/Death Metal genre, "Anthems Of Annihilation" has everything it takes to entice supporters of this specific amalgam. Not willing to embrace or condemn this exact style (or relate it to more original forms of Black Meta and Death Metal), GLORIA MORTI surely delivers a wanted value here and if you're really keen on this kind of sounds then the band's newest CD surely is worth your time and money.