Marking their return after 10 years comes Anagnorisis, a post-black metal act from Kentucky. Between 2003 and 2016, Anagnorisis became known as an emotionally charged post-black metal/extreme metal act. The band entered into an indefinite hiatus after the departure of their keyboardist. Over that time, front man Zachery Kerr endured the difficult and draining process of caring for his now late father-in-law. This task is an unbearable emotional strain as much as it is an act of kindness and love that feels like the kind of humanity that seems to be so sensical and endearing yet is often elusive and fleeting to our collective consciousness. To help bear with that burden and grief, Kerr began a solo outlet called Caregriever, soon connecting with the core lineup of Anagnorisis to flesh out his ideas into a full-length, comeback album titled Caregriever. The second single, “Choke”, debuts below, now.
Dubbed-out drums beckon the listener into Anagnorisis‘s world of anticipatory grief, but the vocals, harsh and volatile, betray any of the island vibes the snare’s echo may recall. The bass and guitars join in a texture and atmosphere building ascent into more traditional post-black metal sounds as the drums blast beat and brow beat any sense of comfort. Roughly halfway through, a breakdown of disembodied screams haunt the background of tom-heavy drums and guitar noise, further taking the listener into psychological unease. The final third goes almost punk, were it not for the clear black metal influences, in a sort of cathartic anticipation of the full bore conclusion, creating an emotional high that is both a joy to experience and energetic at the same time. This is a great 8 minutes of metal. The song closes with more ambient noise that seems to want to blend in with the first single (and following track) “Nothing Left To Give”, another ripper.
While Anagnorisis may be missing the keyboard and synth elements that gave texture to their earlier work, the band has made up for that missing element by sounding more ferocious, taking notes from other extreme metal acts like Primitive Man and employing more feedback and noise textures. “Choke” and “Nothing Left To Give” feel as raw as a flesh wound from the outpouring of all of the complex emotional heft of prolonged familial hospice. The sounds may be bleak, but it is clear that they are derived from a place of processing grief giving these songs a weight that can only come from the fleeting and failing acts of love and kindness that comes from being human, touching, angry, and cathartic.
Anagnorisis will release Caregriever in full on October 23, 2026 via pressings from Vendetta Records (LP, Europe) and Bölverk Collective (CD), Negative Reflections (LP), and So Below Productions (CS) in the USA. Follow Anagnorisis on Facebook, Instagram, and Bandcamp!
