Hailing from the Undefeated City — Porto, Portugal — Anzv has their own particular blend of black metal that draws on the city’s poignant past and from far beyond our civilization’s reach. Their sophomore album Kur embraces the sinister nature of black metal, infused with dark mysticism but packing plenty of wallop to hammer home their ancient sermons. They draw from Mesopotamian lore for subject matter, treating it with reverence while still bringing across all of the atavistic eccentricities that come with ancient mythology.
It’s an aesthetic delight, absolutely, but Kur shines due to what’s under the surface. This is heavily layered music, and some of those layers feel like they’re meant to conceal. Complex melodies writhe underneath the punishing rhythm section — sonic manifestations of evil digging into the subconscious like something under the skin, perhaps. We’re premiering the video for the track “Shamash” today, which illustrates Anzv’s visual embodiment of their forceful mythological approach as well as how they turn mundane instrumentation into black-veiled mystery.
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Kur will be released by Edged Circle Productions on May 30th, 2025 – pre-orders for all formats are available today.
