Finnish extreme metal phenoms ANZILLU – whose sound is punctuated by buzz-saw guitar riffs delivered with equal amounts of dexterous shredding and pummeling brute force – release the third sample from their anticipated debut album. Today “The Cleansing Flame” digital single is available on all streaming and download platforms and you can watch the video here – https://youtu.be/BAYtMtM3mJQ. Compiled from studio photos taken of the band during the recording process of ‘Ex Nihilo’ at the famed Sonic Pump Studio with producer Nino Laurenne (Amorphis, Wintersun, Lost Society) producing and mixing.
“’The Cleansing Flame’ is a track I wanted to write about driving a big block muscle car,” explains guitarist Jesse Kämäräinen. “Although the lyrics don’t have anything to do with it, the music I had in mind was written as a soundtrack to the smell of gasoline and the sound of loud V8 engines. The song has a mean attitude and drive to it and it takes an unexpected turn in the bridge.”
“The lyric video is composed of photographs from the recording sessions of the upcoming debut album. Now one year later, those photos bring back great memories and we wanted to share them with you too. Some gearheads may also be interested about the process and equipment we used.”
As mentioned, “The Cleansing Flame” is the third offering from the group following up slamming numbers like “Trumpets Of War” https://youtu.be/AqGvf-qLHFg and “Needles (On My Nerves)” https://youtu.be/AVY2HntvZR8. Keep an eye out for more information about next year’s full album release, ‘Ex Nihilo,’ and pre-order options for CD and limited colored vinyl soon.
Though the band itself is new, the musicians comprising ANZILLU are not inexperienced. The new group – whose name is inspired by the ancient Sumerian word for “abomination” – was formed in 2019 by guitarist Jesse Kämäräinen after the dissolution of his previous group Inkvisitor, which released two records of thrash-influenced extreme metal between 2015 and 2018. Kämäräinen had already demoed an album’s worth of new material at the time of that development, and went on to bring in a battery of fellow notables that had also been making their names within Finnish metal circles to form ANZILLU. The searing vocal talents of Teemu Kemppainen (Argent Void), the thunderous bass of Rasmus Kantonen, and the death metal crunch of fellow guitarist Sami Katajainen (GAF) join Kämäräinen’s six-string powers to deliver a blistering assault of aural senses.
ANZILLU – now armed with a full album’s worth of material and their collective metallic powers – honed the existing demos into their final form throughout the first half of last year, and entered Sonic Pump Studios in August 2021 with Nino Laurenne (Wintersun, Amorphis, Lost Society) behind the soundboard handling recording/mixing duties and Svante Forsbäck (Volbeat, Candlemass, Kalmah) mastering.
More information on ANZILLU, their debut album, and their plans for additional live shows will be revealed in the weeks to come by M-Theory Audio and at www.facebook.com/anzillufi.
ANZILLU is:
Jesse Kämäräinen – guitars
Teemu Kemppainen – vocals
Sami Katajainen – guitar
Rasmus Kantonen – bass
For more information:
www.facebook.com/anzillufi
www.instagram.com/anzillufi
www.m-theoryaudio.com