Old Lions (In the World of Snarling Sheep)

Anubis Spire

Product Details

• Audio CD (March 11, 2000)
• Original Release Date: March 11, 2000
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: The Orchard
• ASIN: B00000G0UH
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #360,630 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A true cult classic!, October 21, 2001

By	"progressive2112" (Los Angeles, California) - See all my reviews

If there was ever a "little engine that could" it would without a doubt be Anubis Spire. Recorded in the most primitive of situations almost completely live, this, their debut cd has had an amazing impact out of all proportion to it's humble indy origins. "Old Lions" is packed with mostly instrumental cuts that overflow with gloriously raw, and refreshingly un-selfconscious guitar playing by A.S. mastermind and lead guitarist Bill MacKechnie. Touching upon Arabic, Indian, Celtic and world music in a rock base not that far removed from the proto heavy metal of bands like Led Zeppelin and Cream, A.S. takes it's listeners on a magic carpet ride that doesn't let up from start to finish. While it's doubtful that you'll be hearing them on your commercial radio station any time soon, Anubis Spire have already garnered a sizable cult following that I predict will only continue to grow and will become one of those bands that people will look back upon as a true cult classic.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Completely different=great guitar music!, November 9, 2001

By A Customer

This is a cool album! It takes a while to get used to but if you're the adventurous type it's well worth it. I bought this on the recommendation of a friend who's guitar playing I really admire. He raved so much that I did a search and found the MP3's online and listened a lot before I bought the CD. It's loaded with really interesting and different guitar instrumentals and plenty of cool extended jams. Guitar players should check out the samples online and get this disk!

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Harem Pants And Heavy Rock, August 26, 2001

By	El Kabong - See all my reviews

Anubis Spire is an indie project spearheaded by a guitar player -a good one, too- name of Bill MacKechnie. Between the looming-sphinx cover art, the irresistable album title, and the vibe of electric-otherness hinted at in the packaging, I figured 'why not take a shot?''.

(But before I get to why I like it, I should point out the production is -well, underwhelming's an appropriately diplomatic term. If there's one thing that gets up my nose, it's when a cd's substandard sound gets excused (even praised!) as "lo-fi". While such a term is excusable in certain contexts -like if the record's authentically 35 years old, or deliberately trying to emulate that kind of antiquity- when you're dealing with a mostly-instrumental rock album featuring musicians who can really play, "lo-fi"'s a dog that won't hunt.)

However, OLD LIONS is pretty nifty regardless, especially if you like a touch of psych mixed into your sonic stew. There are both aggro and mellow moments aplenty here, powered by MacKechnie's slashing guitarwork, which is usually possessed of the kind of swirling, serpentine, slightly-Arabic sound that I'm a hopeless sucker for in a heavy-rock framework. From the moment opener "So Be It" starts to churn, you know you're in for a magic carpet ride of mystery and majesty; prepare to tune out the world for the next hour or so, 'cos the rest of the cd doesn't let you down (even the few vocal numbers work well). Just play it a few notches louder than you normally might to compensate for the slightly muddy sound.