Annisokay - Enigmatic Smile

German quintet Annisokay are back with their masterful genre blending - and they're still quite heavy!You may remember my reviewing this German melodic metalcore quintet's rather impressive debut, The Lucid Dream[er] last year. Amazingly, Annisokay is already back again with their followup, Enigmatic Smile.

The title is based on the timeless mystery of a lovely young French woman found dead in the river Seine (known today as "L’Inconnu de la Seine") of what was assumed to be suicide. The coroner was so taken by the woman's calm, almost smiling expression, he had a cast taken of her face to be displayed decoratively. To this day, the case is unsolved. The music itself is a continuation of the precedent established by their debut album; a thrilling mix of metalcore, melodic death metal, with a touch of electronic (and not being expert, so please don't try to pin me down on what sub-genre of electronic music is actually in play here). These guys just fucking rock, okay?

The Bottom Line: Those melodic metalcore wunderkinds, Annisokay, are back making some of the more interesting metal coming out of Europe these days. Keep in mind it's not that each of the constituent genre influences are new, but the artful blending of them is what these guys do best. Check 'em out.

Tracks That Make Your Neck Go "Uh-oh...": Panic Attack, Fragile Line, and Traveler

- Genghis wishes he was twenty-five years younger (and independently wealthy)...