Can't give these guys credit for coming up with a name that really means anything, nor does it do anything but make you frown, since it's all too similar to the typical selection of such bands with "clever" references and ridiculously long titles like The Tony Danza Tapdance Extravaganza or nonsensical word combinations like Beneath the Massacre. Those examples are probably the worst, but Jack the Stripper doesn't sound much better, though it was actually a real serial killer (guess the usual was too usual). And the album title of Black Annis, a reference to an obscure character from folklore who they probably lifted from that book series The Enchanted World just sounds like a random selection at the library they were hoping no one would be familiar with. It would have actually been cooler if reversed, but oh well, since they're not signed at the time of this release, perhaps they can change that. Black Annis, as a whole, reads like pretty much any Dillinger Escape Plan, Mastodon, or Converge release over most of their careers. If this band was called Mastodon Converge Plan, it would be a lot easier to review. That probably would have been the end of it.
All stabs aside, Black Annis, isn't unbearable by any means, but these guys are in desperate need of finding themselves if they expect to make it any further than the content of this self-released EP. The look is professional, though derivative to the point that you could remove all references to them with no effect, and they're obviously serious about their music. When Jack the Stripper creates a groove or a hook, it works surprisingly well. You'd expect the typical jun jun jun jun reee dududud drum kick breakdown, but they don't really mess around with such tripe. Some of the chording comes off as typical, but definitely far from marginal. So they have the good stuff down, where they fuck it up is in the details. Thankfully, overall, when the songwriting really counts they're able to keep your attention, but the unfortunate problem with Black Annis is they usually don't do it for long.
The main issue these guys have is they're way too interested in appearing able to tackle dissonance, tempo breaks, arpeggios, and for some reason horrible tangents they refer to in their little press release as "jazz". You know how it goes, you're catching a riff, and then for some damn reason it descends into a tempo drop with fingers flying over the fretboard with absolutely no purpose. It's like a noose that's not properly tied. The trap door drops, the convicted descends, and then falls to the ground wondering what in the hell happened. They also have a tendency to take this Daughters approach to their sound, but it never goes further than the copycatting suggested by their own band name. Hell, even the cover of this one looks a little too familiar, and if you can't remember just look up Mastodon's Remission and prepare to shake thy head. But the execution is there, and for what it is it works. Should Jack the Stripper seek a future with this thing, they need to find a sound, for starters, and then get a little more mature. Black Annis is definitely not recommended for toughened hardcore fans, but it might have enough bite to keep you interested for a listen.
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Written by Arkus
