Track By Tracks: Anarchÿ - Sent​ï​ence (2022)

1. Realmz.exe:

The main riff here dates back to 2019 as the outro to a different song I had written, simply titled “Realms”, and it was an instrumental back then. The riff is in Drop D# tuning. That’s every string tuned up to F standard except for the low string down to D#. Wacky. The vocal part came lastly to top off this brief, high-octane intro for the album.

2. D.E.S.T.R.O.Y.:

Another track in which the music was conceived first before the lyrics, in good ol’ E standard tuning this time. The song is in the key of B flat minor, but frequently utilizes the tritone to create an overall dark sound despite resolving to a major chord in the end. The lyrics entertain the notion of unifying humankind through the dissolution of organized religion. There is an acoustic stinger at the very end to almost foreshadow some riffs from “Abstract Lexical Abyss” & “The Greatest Curse” later on in the album.

3. The Spectrum of Human Emotion:

The long one. Actually, we’re almost certain that this is the longest thrash metal song ever recorded, clocking in at roughly 32 minutes. It’s up in F standard tuning, although Part 7 has a capo on the first fret. Lyrically, it’s my interpretation of Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” and much of the music was composed with this in mind. Some riffs, however, date back to when I was only 15, particularly in Part 4. I called upon our good friends Avery Nixon and Jackson Denholm to contribute some guest vocals and bass work respectively, making this massive project of a song sound as grand as possible. Fionn stepped aside from vocals for a minute to take the frantic bass solo in Part 6, and Jackson provided the dreamier bass solo that concludes Part 7.

4. Ë:

The short one. This is technically the only cover song of the 10 main tracks, originally written by Wehrmacht in the 80’s. Why place a 2 second track immediately after an extremely long one? Comedy.

5. Enter the Singularity:

My personal favorite besides the long one. Most of the lyrics here had been written prior to the music, so the riffs were created with them in mind. Back in E standard tuning, though in the key of G sharp minor. There’s a more prominent neoclassical influence in this track, it reminds me of HeXeN’s music in retrospect. The lyrics depict mankind becoming more and more disillusioned with their technology as it advances, eventually preferring death over the world they’ve created. The intro actually details a man dying in a hospital bed, only to have his consciousness scanned and uploaded to a computer against his will.

6. Waylaid:

Another fun and a short one, this time in F standard. The intro was originally going to be much longer and goofier, but that idea was scrapped. The lyrics plainly depict the heartache of rejection, as a stark contrast. I thought it would be highly entertaining to have something so short be both funny and emotional at different points.

7. Abstract Lexical Abyss:

An obviously classical inspired and guitar-centric instrumental. Serves as an intro to “The Greatest Curse”, although this song was actually written first! A brief sample from Ingmar Bergman’s ‘The Seventh Seal’ is utilized here as well as in Track 8 to match the themes of nihilism and death acceptance.

8. The Greatest Curse:

This track is the most melancholy both lyrically and musically. The verse riff once again dates back to when I was about 15, though some riffs were written right before they were recorded. Originally released as an EP to gauge the reactions to our newer material, it has since been remixed and the vocals were rerecorded for the album version. You can watch the final solo take on our Instagram!

9. Atheus Mortem Redux:

This instrumental was previously featured on our first EP ‘Breathing Necropolis’, but I liked the final product so much that it made its way onto the album! Countless guitar layers were recorded to make it sound as full as possible before the melody suddenly cuts off. The percussion at the end is actually from a drumline cadence that our school’s marching band let me record back in 2020. We are band nerds.

10. Ÿ (More Umlauts, More Metal!):

The overuse of unnecessary umlauts in metal is incredibly cliche. It’s still fun though, just like this 7 second stinger to close out the album.