What the hell are they putting in the water over in Sweden? It doesn't matter what year or subgenre, there is always a band playing some brilliant metal over there, and Antichrist is indeed one of those bands. The first two demos the band put out were pretty decent, but the band's debut full-length "Forbidden World" is miles ahead of their previous work.
Now, if you're going to complain about the unoriginal band name, or even more unoriginal song titles, then you need to go away. If you're going to complain about the lack of innovation or technical prowess, then you are an absolute false and should just avoid this album. The sound of this album isn't an unfamiliar one, but it is a timeless one that is always fantastic with the proper songwriting. The riffs are pretty fast for the most part, but there are some nice midpaced riffs and tremolo bursts that fit into the mix perfectly. Along with the variety of riffs, the solos and melodies are superb and add a cool atmosphere at times, one that isn't very common in the thrash genre. The drums and bass don't really stand out, but they do their job. The real standout here, however, are the vocals. Steken's vocals sound like a sick combination of "Show No Mercy" era Tom Araya and Paul Baloff, but with a savage twist that adds to the frantic sound magnificently.
Antichrist doesn't waste anytime getting into the straightforward thrashing madness, kicking off the album with "Dark Sorcery." A track that kicks off with some thrashy riffs and moves along smoothly, until the second half of the track that features some terrific solos and melodies. The next two songs don't let up on the thrashing assault, but Antichrist knows how to give the listeners a break, with the minute and a half instrumental "Forbidden World." A clean guitar interlude that sends chills down the listener's spine. After that, is the best track on the record, "Necropolis." Clocking in at just over eight minutes, this track features everything Antichrist excels at. Headbang-inducing, midpaced riffs, blistering fast thrash riffs, catchy hammer-on filled riffs and awesome solos.
Unfortunately, "Forbidden World" is not perfect. While Antichrist is perfectly capable of conjuring up some wicked riffs and entire songs as a whole, some tracks just don't measure up to the rest and are horrifyingly mediocre. The tracks "Militia of Death" and "Death Rays" are in particular, snore inducing. They just seem to plod along and go through the motions, serving as filler.
Overall, Antichrist is one of the best new bands out today, with their brand of savage and eerie thrash. If every song on this record was as amazing as the track "Necropolis" or "Victims of the Blade" then this could have easily been one of the best records of the year, but it is still better than most band's outputs, making this a must have record.
Best Tracks
"Dark Sorcery"
"Necropolis"
"Victims of the Blade"
Be sure to check out and like Antichrist on Facebook!
Final Rating - 4.25/5 or 85%.
No comments:
Post a Comment