Ænimus

Ænimus is a Swedish heavy and thrash metal band from Skellefteå, active since 2009. The group also appears in later profiles as a Bay Area, Northern California act and is described there as having formed in late summer 2010 under the same name.

Early releases and recordings

The band issues a three-song demo while working on its debut full-length album. Its first album, Transcend Reality, is recorded, mixed and mastered by producer and engineer Nick Botelho at NB Recording in Santa Rosa, California. The album contains 13 tracks and includes a guest vocal appearance from Eddie Hermida of All Shall Perish on “Heavy Lies the Crown”.

Notable tracks and media

Ænimus has a track called “The Grasp of Ruin” included in the video game Supremacy MMA. Another song, “Inertia”, premieres through Heavy Blog Is Heavy and later appears as a lyric video on the band’s official YouTube channel.

Tours, support slots and promotion

The band supports acts including Origin, Cattle Decapitation, Aborted, Battlecross, Fallujah and Severed Savior. It also completes an EMG Pickups and Heavy Blog Is Heavy sponsored West Coast tour called “Groove It Or Lose It” in April and May 2013, followed by a short California run titled “Still Grooving” and a second regional tour called “Transcend Reality” in August 2013.

Line-up

At the time listed, Ænimus consists of Matt Wills on vocals, Miles Baker and Sean Swafford on guitars, Seth Stephens on bass and Justin Tvetan on drums. The band is also described as independent.

Style and genre

The band is tagged as deathcore, technical deathcore, progressive deathcore, technical death metal and progressive metal, and is also identified as a thrash metal act.