Artist: Anima
Country: Finland
Label: Self-released
Formats: Digital
Year: 2025
There’s not much to say about Anima, simply because not much is known. The band hails from Finland and consists of a single entity that goes by the name of Anima. The origins seem to lie in 2024, and foundations for the debut album were laid in early winter 2025. One thing we do know is that this now has crystalized in the shape of a digital debut full-length bearing the title ‘Yllä Kaikkitietävän Tyhjyyden’.
And in the end nothing matters but the music. And in that regard, Anima delivers. Very clearly the band has based their material on the Finnish Black Metal scene. Tthe foundation consist of early Satanic Warmaster and Horna, but Anima somewhat sets itself apart by blending that with the atmosphere of Cosmic Church. Although they do appear on ‘Yllä Kaikkitietävän Tyhjyyden’, this is conveyed not even so much through keyboards, but rather through the atmosphere within the riffs. These are draped in a rather raw guitar sound, but still all the layers of the guitars are distinguishable, as with the piercing vocals and battering drums.
After the instrumental intro passes, ‘Aikojen Peilit’ opens in full force. The rawness of the guitars hits the right spot with the old Horna riffs, and the slight reverb on the snarling vocals are a perfect complement. Anima mixes pumping pace with grooving medium tempos rather excellently, in the mean time always keeping those subcuntaenous melodies at the forefront of the intention. Clearly, the atmospheric element is more elevated than in early Horna and Satanic Warmaster, something where the Cosmic Church comparisons really shine through. ‘Vastaamaton Kysymys offers a similar pallete of Black Metal, but adds some high-pitched tremolo riffs, back and forth melodies and a rather abrupt but surprisingly logical transition to clean strumming. It’s an element found more often on the record, where tempos may change suddenly, but somehow that doesn’t interfere with the flow and mood at all. While most of the songs thus far focussed on a pulsating tempo, ‘Jatkuvasti Raukeava Haava’ takes things slower, instead focussing on the melancholy of the melodic lines and intense vocal cries. As a whole, the track has a more open, almost warmer atmosphere, but twists into a sadder state as keyboards join towards the end. ‘Katseeni Kohtasi Rajattoman’ is another song where keyboards add to the overall feeling, but as a whole Anima does a splendid job encapsulating that yearning melancholy within the riffs and the vocals.
‘Yllä Kaikkitietävän Tyhjyyden’ leaves me quite impressed with Anima. The sharp and raw sound add a coldness to it, the vocals are spirited and feel heartfelt, the pace and groove are top notch and above all, the riff are classy. Just excellently crafted and executed Finnish Black Metal with all the right intentions.
