There are some albums that you just cant put down. For the past four days now, Ive been listening pretty much nonstop to Whittier-based metal band Antagonists latest offering, Writings on the Wall, an EP collection of 6 songs. One of the songs, Time For Pain, is also found on their live EP Smple, so Im familiar with that one, but the other 5 are totally new to me. And Ive gotta say, this is some good stuff. If there were any justice in the world, these guys would be signed to a major label producing full-length albums, each standing to this caliber. But that little thing called realitys gotta get in the way, so weve got other stuff (to put it lightly) carrying over the airwaves, while songs like Heterodox, Inscribed In Red, and Leech are left on burned MC-Rs for $4 a pop. Not that Im complaining mind you, because those of us that pay the $4 are rewarded back quite more. One of the first things I noticed when listening to this CD is the production quality. For not even listing where it was recorded (thus assuming the band did it themselves), the sound here is excellent. Each instrument, from the hi-hat to the click of the bass is present and clear, and just sounds great. Respect to whoever pulled that off. Carlos, the vocalist, lyricist, and guitarist, has improved so much in the vocal department from Winnetka (another EP of theirs) its amazing. In Leech, the first track and a fine tune, he shows enough vocal stylings to put a lot of well-known metal vocalists to shame; singing, harmonizing, screaming, hell even some death metal growls for ya (which I personally love), all done The guitar and bass work is spectacular. Some of the songs Inscribed In Red in particular have a Swedish feel to them but with an American twist, almost like something Shadows Fall would do. Theres some great riffs all around: Leech, Heterodox, and all have a good vibe where the riffs arent thrash metal but not rock, theyre just plain good riffs. Heterodox has got a great melodic solo that I didnt see coming, surprised the heck outta me. Marcus, bassist and rhythm maestro, provides some nice low-frequency work in pretty much ever song, especially, where it goes from monstrously heavy to downright melodic and near-poppy. Excellent contrast in that song. There are some nice slap-bass moments like in Heterodox (am I saying that name enough? Go get it!) and Inscribed In Red that add a great flavor to an already tasty meal. Londs drumming keeps getting better every time I hear him. He can pull off a plethora of beats, including that all-out bounce, thrash (such as those parts in Heterodox), punk (or whatever its called when you go faster that normal, but not as fast as blastbeats, like in Meek,), and some good hip-hop styled grooves. His dynamics are damn good, too, he knows when to slow it down or start speeding, which just highlights his talents. One thing that needs particular mention are the songs themselves. Each one has a place and is excellent in its own right. Leech and Heterodox have clean-sung choruses that will get stuck in your head for days (case in point: me), right alongside screams and growls. Gotta love it. Both Time For Pain and Untitled are heavy as heck, the latter with some great riffing and a surprisingly melodic bridge, the latter with an awesome breakdown and a clean section that can give you shivers. Meek is a more upbeat number, almost sounding punk-ish (then again, I dont listen to punk), and more clean vocals that most. Its also got some nice drumming near the end, which for some reason reminds me of the Deftones more recent material. Inscribed In Red is a mini-epic, theres no better way to describe it for me; it just has that feel. The ending chorus is awesome, every time Carlos screams "Shattered glass, my reflection!" I cant help but love it. My only complaint is that they didnt flesh it out to a full 6:00, but thats trivial and just my weirdness at work. Overall, this is a fine piece of work, something for the band to be proud of. I eagerly recommend this band to anyone who enjoys metal, no matter what sub-genre. And hell, just buy the CD if you can, its only $4. I didnt think it was possible for me to write this much about 6 songs, but hey, Im bored and this band deserves it. Some minor quibbles: For some reason it won't play in my CD player, it's all choppy and has lots of static. It works fine in my computer and Walkman, but not my boombox. Ah well, small detail. Kinda scared me at first though, I thought the CD got damaged during the shipping. Thats about it. Great work you guys. -
By Jay M. ([email protected]) 1-6-03 Want some further info about the guys? Go to their official website, run by the band itself (usually Lond): http://listen.to/Antagonistmusic or http://Antagonistmusic.cjb.net Want to hear some of the songs? Check em out at mp3.com: http://www.mp3.com/Antagonistmusic