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Anima - "The Daily Grind" (Metal Blade)

Whaa? I couldn't even work out the name of the band from their logo but it's Germany's new hotties (no, they're not chicks, just ordinary looking German kids) - the youthful Anima who play extreme metal along the lines of The Black Dahlia Murder which is a combination of fast death metal with screeching vox mixed in with slow grind passages and hollow vocals. At times with their back riffing they remind me of At The Gates so all the right influences are there although my only criticism would be that given "The Daily Grind" is their sophomore release I would've expected the band to be finding their feet in terms of an original sound. It's excusable given their 16-19 youth although you can only go so far on competent musicianship.

-Shan Siva