CELAVI - Anima

The Burning Soul of a Neo-Metal Machine: A Review of Anima by Celavi

Written by Chris Magdalenski

From the album’s opening notes a frenetic power takes hold of me. Ominous, yet compelling — synthetic day-glo paints splashed onto a canvas of silence with all the force of an artist swept up into the rush of inspiration.

The drums kick in — each hit a controlled demolition. To say they drag me with them is not entirely accurate. I willingly chase them down whatever path they carve. This is music that one is almost predestined to move to. It drips with an energy both electric and primal.

Sarah, the duo’s vocalist, counters the intensity of the music with an urgency that’s candy coated in sardonic sweetness. Her voice sits just inside the mix, a poison pill that one is all too happy to ingest.

There are five songs on the EP, each one a mainline to the adrenal glands. Lead-heavy guitars mix perfectly with layers of wailing synths to create speed metal for the dystopian age. They list their influences — ranging from Metalcore and Anime to Drum ’n Bass and Industrial, all of which can clearly be heard in this aggressively pleasing undertaking.

One influence that floats to the surface for this Gen-Xer’s ears is The Lords of Acid. Listening to Anima put me right back into the headspace I was in while stuck in the pit of a Lords’ show somewhere around the year 2000. Though hazy now, I remember being blown away by the metal-like potency the synth legends brought to their live show… Pure uncut adrenaline seasoned with healthy doses of sex, death and manic energy.

I hear that same potency here and now. Those same nods to neon-lit dens of mischief and mayhem… I look forward to the day when I find myself stuck in a pit overseen by the power that is Celavi.

For more, visit: https://celavimusic.bandcamp.com/album/anima