Review by Felix on February 24, 2026.

Among many other things, thrash and black metal are different in terms of the local orientation. Thrash bands cannot really exist without keeping the Bay Area sound in mind, while black metal creatures worldwide emancipated themselves from the Norwegian role models of the second wave. With that said, it is only logical that thrash still is (and will hopefully always be) about sharp riffs and fast drums, but black metal has become much more than devilish hymns with icy guitars. A lot of non-Scandinavian bands have discovered the wealth of their home culture and integrated this into their sound. Not the worst thing one can do, I guess. Anzv from Portugal belongs to these formations.

Right from the beginning, a significant feature becomes more than evident. “Kur”, their second work, builds on a very fat and voluminous, highly professional production. Clinking guitars, embedded in a low-fi sound, are not on the agenda. Rather, it seems as if the band wants to overwhelm the listener with the sound alone. The tons-heavy guitars gather like the gloomiest storm clouds ever. There is no way to escape this mix that embraces the consumer violently. Drums and bass did not get a very prominent position, but they accompany the dominant guitars and the demonic voice in a solid way. So there is nothing wrong with the technical implementation of the ten tracks.

The material itself also pleases me. From very slow, funeral procession compatible rhythms over healthy mid-tempo sections to pretty rapid outbreaks, Anzv vary their sound. The feeling they create can be roughly compared with that of Melechesh, the almost forgotten champions of “Mesopotamian” black metal (who return this year...). But Anzv keep a close eye on a very smooth, nearly overly polished flow, which maybe reflects the influence of the darkest Moonspell tracks. Anyway, one can close their eyes and dive deeply into their compositions while their thoughts can fly freely. There is no attention needed to understand suddenly occurring breaks. This is not to say that “Kur” sounds monotonous or predictable in any way. It is a homogeneous work, based on despair, aggression and fatalism, no doubt about it. But the deep voice alone, often commanding, sometimes challenging, rarely solemn, guarantees a solid degree of diversity. Moreover, from time to time appear background vocals ('Imdugud' or 'Lamashtu') appear that add their own dignified sound-colour to the overall picture.

The artwork mirrors an awareness of style issues, and this feature also comes through the music. Anzv do not philosophise about a pure Holocaust or millions of slaughtered nuns. Fortunately, they follow a more adult approach. On the one hand, I appreciate this form of maturity; on the other hand, I admit that I miss a certain level of grim dedication to show whole mankind its ridiculous weakness and its religious idiocy. But almost too melodic tracks like 'Shamash' are followed by dystopian tones that introduce 'Edimmu', and therefore everything is pretty well-balanced. Even better, the songs never fall below a (very) respectable quality level. Each and every number adds value to the album due to its good substance and coherent arrangement. Nevertheless, a few really great compositions stand out.

The already mentioned 'Edimmu' is one of them, offering different moods of downfall and hope, while everything is surrounded by an archaic touch. The opening, driving guitar riff of 'Etemenanki' heralds a very promising song, and it does not promise too much. The artists occasionally allow themselves a certain light-footedness without losing their firm anchoring in the sub-genre. Given this, 'Etemenanki' is at peace with itself, but brimming with power. Doubtlessly, Anzv explore the mental abysses in many ways. A small number of their guitar lines appear like imported from Quebec’s Francophile scene, but all in all, Anzv realise their individual vision of black metal. Thus, I can recommend “Kur” to all those who do not think that absolute rawness and total insanity are essential ingredients for each and every output of the sub-genre. Maybe exactly “Kur” will prove the opposite.

Rating: 8.1 out of 10

Review by Michael on September 10, 2025.

"With "Kur" , ANZV descends even deeper. Infused with the arcane spirit of Mesopotamia and the fury of black metal's rawest form, the album conjures a realm where ancient rites, death deities, and forgotten truths clash in a storm of sound and shadow. It is a sonic ritual—a metaphysical journey through the gates of the netherworld, where awe, dread, and transcendence await."

So far the information on the homepage of the Portuguese band. What sounds super mysterious and especially when it comes to the music like some ultra-brutal raw and unpolished black metal is not that raw as promised. Nevertheless the band sounds very interesting because they combine some more dissonant black metal stuff like their countrymen from Gaerea with a lot of influences that sound a lot like what the Polish scene produces, especially Mgla or Behemoth (when Nergal didn't have the $-sign hanging in front of his eye$ yet) and Canadian Panzerfaust (with whom they will perform some gigs in Portugal in November).

Lyrically they probably deal a lot with the Mesopotamian history when you look at the song titles. "Ekur" or "Shamash" belong to the Sumerian mythology and deals with their gods and mythology. Let's take "Shamash" as an interesting example for the lyrics:

"I stand as Shamash,
I stride forth.
Seeker of truth guiding the lost
Through shadows devout.
Through realms unseen, devoid of light.
Let your eyes behold death.
Let your eyes glimpse the breast of Aruru,
Your creator […]"

I guess when you are a history nerd, this is something that is worth diving deeper into because indeed the Sumerian history is super interesting. All this mythological stuff where a lot of people drew inspiration from (maybe one or the other remembers Erich van Däniken) seems to be an endless source of inspiration for books and lyrics. By the way, German Sumerian Tombs dealt on their latest album also with this topic.

But musically, as I already said, they are kind of straight-forward classic black metal with a lot of tremolo picking. Some might find it slightly irritating that there aren't any oriental-peppered tunes to find here, just like Melechesh used to compose. Nevertheless they create a very dense and brutal atmosphere, sometimes with a more classic heavy metal-style like the guitar solo in "Shamash" shows. Technically the guys seem to be very skilled and also the song-writing is really fine and a song like "Etemenanki"  is a cool fast stomper with catchy melodies.

What is lacking here and there are some surprising twists in the songs that give them the certain touch to differ from the aforementioned bands. Please don't get me wrong, this is a good album indeed but not really groundbreaking. The production is very well done, the album artwork is really beautiful and the only question is if the fans will buy the album. If you like bands like Mgla, mid-Behemoth, Panzerfaust you should check "Kur", with this second album by ANZV you cannot make a mistake.

Rating: 8 out of 10