Feralcat returns to his signature combo of windblown sax runs and power metal acrobatics with “Anselm the Wise.”
Just a few weeks ago, Feralcat brought us some jazz-tinged, lo-fi instrumentals to relax/study to in the form of the wavy waiting for waifu. “Anselm the Wise” (featuring the full Wild) plants its flag at the opposite end of the musical spectrum, its chugga-chugga guitar and soaring, melodic sax hearkening back to previous Feralcat epics like “Castle Song.” “Anselm” is even heavier, though, its churning, palm-muted riffs striding right into djent territory (still not sure if that’s a real genre or an internet meme, but honestly who cares); hell, there’s even a dissonant, crushing breakdown thrown in near the end. What remains the same, though, is the dynamic interplay between Feralcat and his band, each deft call on the sax met with an emphatic, punchy response from the Wild. Everything is kept tight, preventing the song from sliding into wankery and needless pyrotechnics. “Anselm” manages to balance the delicate and the volcanic, and proves once again that Feralcat is a woodwind player with something different to say.
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