Addiktio – Anthem For The Year 2020
Release Date: 29th October 2021
Label: Indie Recordings
Bandcamp
Genre: Industrial Rock, Djent, Prog, Cinema Score.
FFO: Nine Inch Nails, Prince, Monte Pittman.
Review By: David Oberlin
They say that when words fail, music speaks. Addiktio have taken this idiom to heart and rendered another stunning collection of instrumental only tracks. Articulated in tonal synergy and with deliberate cadence. And where the technical side of new album Anthem For the Year 2020 is equal to its mature reiteration of ideas. This album is not so much an amalgam of genres as it is the soundtrack to a Rock Opera. Where the lead actors are caricatured by guitars and complimented by very capable rhythms.
Of course, with a name like Anthem For The Year 2020 [AFTY20 following] you can certainly make some educated guesses as to what this album conceptualises. And while its mood effectively captures the melancholy, the anger and self-reflection that was prevalent through the media campaigns of said year, AFTY20 describes a more personal adventure. Vocalised in a cacophony of distortion and with a cornucopia of personal flourishes.
AFTY20 starts with a beat, a beat that never falters throughout the entire presentation, and a beat that only intensifies as it leads the noise through the albums prog-like passages. As for the noise, it is drafted into play with precision and care, almost appearing as a luxurious indulgence in contrast to the developing choral structures. Where a combination of the two, noise and pattern, merge into an almost trance like estate that houses a feeling of pure joy in creating music. Even without a vocal track dictating an evolving scene, the instruments describe clearly what is going on.
Even with the imaginary monsters of 2020 scribbling in the groups ear, their impassioned performance on AFTY20, and writing, brings a sense of whimsy. Addiktio bring a lot of different musical angles to the table and come away with a complete shape; an enigmatic prism that focuses a mix of influences into a coherent model. Architected so that you can hear bits of this and allusions to that, but you will never quite know what exactly is behind the groups thinking. 
(4 / 5)
