The Anix – Revenge (Album – FiXT)
Genre/Influences: Electro-Rock, Indie-Pop/Rock.
Format: Digital.
Background/Info: Brandon Smith is back on track, unleashing a new album of The Anix. The album features guest artists Inhuman, Blush Response, Julien K and Interlock.
Content: The Anix moves on exploring the boundaries of Industrial music. The production remains a mish mash of influences, which have been mixed in a coherent and powerful mold. Electronics and guitar are empowering each other while the different collaborations inject some extra influences. The Anix sometimes sound like an imaginary creation between Depeche Mode and Marilyn Manson.
+ + + : The songs are well-crafted and revealing a top notch production. It’s a powerful sound accentuated by guitar parts and refined by electronic arrangements. The collaboration with Blush Response on “Levitate” resulted in an alluring and modern piece of Industrial-Techno-Grunge. There’s also something to say about the dreamy, emotive and Cinematic acoustic version of “Where Is My Mind” composed together with Julien K. Another collaboration with American artist Julien K. (cf. “Your Lies Are Like Fire”) is another piece I recommended for its rough sound approach.
– – – : The Anix has this typical American sound, which is not always easy to grasp for Europeans. The multiple influences resulted in an original and very personal sound, which however remains hard to define. It’s sometimes a bit too Rock-driven.
Conclusion: “Revenge” is a diversified piece of music, which is hard to label, but easier to listen to.
Best songs: “Levitate”, “Don’t Let The Outside Win”, “Your Lies Are Like Fire”, “Where Is My Mind – Acoustic Live”.
Rate: 7.
Listen to “Revenge”:
Artist: http://theanix.com / www.facebook.com/theanix
Label: www.fixtmusic.com / www.facebook.com/fixtmusic
About The Anix
The Anix started in 2001 as an American band featuring Brandon Smith, Bryan Lareau and Oscar Gutierrez. The debut album “An Illusion Of Time” appeared in 2004 and “Play, Dance, Repeat” followed in April 2005. “Demolition City” came out on Chamberlain Records in 2008, and in 2009 the band played shows in Germany alongside Apoptygma Berzerk.
After signing to Cleopatra Records the group released “Sleepwalker” in 2011; its track “Warning Signs” was used in the soundtrack of “Mass Effect: Paragon Lost”. “Ephemeral” followed in 2017, after which Brandon Smith continued on his own from Los Angeles. He signed to FiXT and released “Shadow_Movement” on October 18, 2018, “Hologram” on October 10, 2019 and “Graphite” on June 26, 2020. The “Die With You Remix Contest Compilation” arrived in November 2020.
“Revenge” was released on January 14, 2022 with fifteen tracks and guest appearances by Julien-K, InHuman and Amir Derakh. A remastered “Demolition City” followed on July 15, 2022, “Nightvision” on June 2, 2023 and the single “Crawl” in February 2024.
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I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.
