![]() ![]() The oddly haunting, archaic melody that opens “The Kindling” lulls the listener into a deceptive calm, one quickly shattered by the oncoming firestorm of icy brimstone fury. Slinky riff arrangements and cutting tremolo melodies – instantly recognisable as distinctive Antestor trademarks – armour the song with irrepressible metallic power, as it races, barely pausing for breath, at breakneck speed towards its soaring penultimate solo and explosive climactic bars. The opening of “In Solitude” is one of those pure Antestor-ian moments, their signature riff style and intricate drumming building to a crescendo of pulse-pounding blastbeats and Ronny Hansen’s snarling, yet crystal-clear, vocal delivery. The unexpected clean vocals here have a strong Pink Floyd feel to them, a restrained and melancholic majesty, once again leaving you with the feeling that the band really took the time to make sure that ALL of the elements of their sonic signature were simpatico this time around – the flow from malevolence to melody, and back again, feels completely natural and organic. Stepping into shoes last filled by the inimitable Hellhammer can’t be an easy thing to do, but his high-velocity kick patterns and laser-guided stick work never fail to impress. “Unchained” continues the assault, piling on the intensity with riff after riff of scorching fury, fuelled by Jo Henning Borven’s immaculate drumming. The dizzying solo work which the group also first unveiled on The Forsaken now flows seamlessly from within the song itself, adding a mesmerising new facet to the band’s sound. Accentuating the scalding aggression is the proggier vibe the band flirted with on The Forsaken, now fully and more artfully integrated, complete with subtle clean backing vocals. ‘Treacherous Domain’ begins with a doomy intro that hearkens back to the Martyrium days, pulverisingly heavy guitars and hammerhead drumming building the tension to the breaking point, before the dam cracks under the pressure of the track’s seething, blackened onslaught. I merely make the comparison to put you in the right frame of mind, oh dear reader. ![]() But this is an Antestor album through and through, with all the clever nuances and subtle undercurrents we’ve come to expect, and in no way derivative of anyone else. ![]() To give you some idea of how to situate this album in your mind, think of the more aggressive assault of Dark Funeral, mixed with the more technical and atmospheric playing of Dark Fortress, and you’ll be in the right ballpark. Heavier, sharper, and more refined throughout, there’s a seamless mixing of the old and the new, with every member putting his own authoritative stamp on the individual performances. The logical progression of the blackened direction that ruled The Forsaken, Antestor’s latest manages to incorporate elements of all their previous records into a cohesive whole, in a perfect synthesis of their doomy past and their pitch-black future. Through years of strife and sorrow, we’ve remained vigilant for Antestor’s return and now finally… the time is here. ![]() (In this post Andy Synn reviews the new album from Norway’s Antestor - a band whose previous albums were the subject of a SYNN REPORT and who had the good taste to use a painting by Zdzisław Beksiński for their album cover.) ![]()
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