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| #FOR FANS OF: Grindcore, Terrorizer, Napalm Death |
Since I am working with the guys from The Pit of the Damned, I have been discovering bands that I haven't even had an idea existed. Some are good and some are bad, regardless, these new discoveries had given me the experience to expand my taste when it comes to extreme metal. Antigama, a grindcore band hailing from Warsaw, Poland, is one of the new bands that I had come across in this experience. As an extreme music enthusiast, I had also found a reason to love grindcore because of its aggressive, furious, and pounding musical assault. And Antigama is what grindcore music is all about.
After seven studio records and loads of split releases, the band had mastered the realm of the genre and had crafted numerous of killer materials since their creation way back in the year 2000. 'Depressant' is the band's third EP release, since 2012, and it was unleashed last November 9th of 2017 under the flag of Polish Selfmadegod Records. Musically, nothing on this EP is that superb in construction and execution. There is no technical guitar work present, no strenuous vocal lines found, and no intricate drum work provided. But who needs those in grindcore music anyway?
'Depressant' is just the right album for those of you who just want to go out there and start a fucking pit and have fun. The EP carries 19 minutes of pure grindcore standard quality pleasure. The guitar section in here is straight up built for a fucking destructive wall-of-noise onslaught. With its fast grinding riffs that have bits of standard death metal riffing and some mid-paced crusty Celtic Frost chugging that's catchy as fuck, these offering will fucking slay anything in its path. Now the tracks in this opus never really include too many riffs to them, as the band preferred working with 3-5 riffs instead, but the outcome of a grind material is always better this way as is shown in the result of this EP. Yeah, I am one of those who believes that riff quantity does not supersede the quality or memorability of a release.
Bass section's presence can also be easily noticed in this proposal. Sure, there is a distinct Napalm Death and Terrorizer influence in the manner of playing the bass, but Antigama took that bass line behavior to next level, as the sound is definitely way more down-tuned than in any other contemporary band in the genre these days. What the band produced here is a fuzzy wall of noise, but still, it sustains a sense of heaviness and wickedness. The drumming is also pretty satisfying to the ears. Drummer's blasts are tight and precise, and his double bass work during more mid-paced moments of the tunes, is also pretty indulging. Normally, one can get bored with the fast drum assault in grindcore, but the execution of the dude behind the kit here is quite precise. He knows his ability, and where he is good at, that he does not overdo anything which might ruin it all.
I also love the back-and-forth high-low vocal screaming and grunting of the band's vocalist. The frontman has that crude and rusty voice shrieking in the old punk fashioned way which conveys a primitive feel to the whole offering. It is the classic cherry on top of the cake, if I may describe it. The Ep's production is also splendid for a Grindcore release. It’s crisp, it’s easy to perceive, and the listeners can hear every instrument, especially the bass. Everything in 'Depressant' sounds great because of the solid production, unlike most EPs from grind bands these days, this album isn’t discordant or difficult to decipher. One can immediately distinguish each instrument and what they’re trying to do.
Concluding, Antigama had put out a fine example of a release with 'Depressant' that precisely defines what a good grindcore offering is all about. It's pretty fucking straightforward and the band did not exaggerate anything. I am really glad that I discovered the band, and I am quite excited to hear more from them in the future. If you fellas have not yet grabbed a copy of this EP, I suggest that you go and purchase a copy now. This is an excellent grindcore release that sick bastards, like me, will really enjoy. (Felix Sale)
After seven studio records and loads of split releases, the band had mastered the realm of the genre and had crafted numerous of killer materials since their creation way back in the year 2000. 'Depressant' is the band's third EP release, since 2012, and it was unleashed last November 9th of 2017 under the flag of Polish Selfmadegod Records. Musically, nothing on this EP is that superb in construction and execution. There is no technical guitar work present, no strenuous vocal lines found, and no intricate drum work provided. But who needs those in grindcore music anyway?
'Depressant' is just the right album for those of you who just want to go out there and start a fucking pit and have fun. The EP carries 19 minutes of pure grindcore standard quality pleasure. The guitar section in here is straight up built for a fucking destructive wall-of-noise onslaught. With its fast grinding riffs that have bits of standard death metal riffing and some mid-paced crusty Celtic Frost chugging that's catchy as fuck, these offering will fucking slay anything in its path. Now the tracks in this opus never really include too many riffs to them, as the band preferred working with 3-5 riffs instead, but the outcome of a grind material is always better this way as is shown in the result of this EP. Yeah, I am one of those who believes that riff quantity does not supersede the quality or memorability of a release.
Bass section's presence can also be easily noticed in this proposal. Sure, there is a distinct Napalm Death and Terrorizer influence in the manner of playing the bass, but Antigama took that bass line behavior to next level, as the sound is definitely way more down-tuned than in any other contemporary band in the genre these days. What the band produced here is a fuzzy wall of noise, but still, it sustains a sense of heaviness and wickedness. The drumming is also pretty satisfying to the ears. Drummer's blasts are tight and precise, and his double bass work during more mid-paced moments of the tunes, is also pretty indulging. Normally, one can get bored with the fast drum assault in grindcore, but the execution of the dude behind the kit here is quite precise. He knows his ability, and where he is good at, that he does not overdo anything which might ruin it all.
I also love the back-and-forth high-low vocal screaming and grunting of the band's vocalist. The frontman has that crude and rusty voice shrieking in the old punk fashioned way which conveys a primitive feel to the whole offering. It is the classic cherry on top of the cake, if I may describe it. The Ep's production is also splendid for a Grindcore release. It’s crisp, it’s easy to perceive, and the listeners can hear every instrument, especially the bass. Everything in 'Depressant' sounds great because of the solid production, unlike most EPs from grind bands these days, this album isn’t discordant or difficult to decipher. One can immediately distinguish each instrument and what they’re trying to do.
Concluding, Antigama had put out a fine example of a release with 'Depressant' that precisely defines what a good grindcore offering is all about. It's pretty fucking straightforward and the band did not exaggerate anything. I am really glad that I discovered the band, and I am quite excited to hear more from them in the future. If you fellas have not yet grabbed a copy of this EP, I suggest that you go and purchase a copy now. This is an excellent grindcore release that sick bastards, like me, will really enjoy. (Felix Sale)
(Selfmadegod Records - 2017)