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I've been spinning this album for a little while and it's very hard to review it because I tend to lose myself into it – it has some kind of entrancing effect (very cool, unless you really need to get a review done. ;)) Anatomy of the Infinite sees Astriaal taking a turn toward a rather epic Black Metal that's mostly slow to mid-paced. The overall feeling is heavy and crushing, a bit more on the depressing than the "evil" side of things – the music is a bit of a downer, not something you really headbang to nor feel like burning churches after listening to it, but rather something that you "survive from" – and in Black Metal, that's a compliment.

This is not Black Metal in its purest form – some more "blasting" parts remind me a little of Phoenix Rising-era Deströyer 666, while there are parts that are straight up old school Heavy Metal, and I even hear a few passages that remind me of mid-80s Metallica – the more melodic stuff off Ride the Lightning and Master of Puppets, served with a blackened sauce. The vocals are less of a surprise – harsh BM-style rasps, sung rather than just mindlessly screamed so the vocals are a perfect match for the melodic, atmospheric musical approach of the album.

Anatomy of the Infinite is a great blend of metal genres, melody and atmosphere that comes out as varied, catchy, depressing and, as I said easier, entrancing. No filler on this one, folks. Recommended.