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Antigama - Meteor Review

by Matt Hensch

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No strangers to the ways of the blast, the gentlemen of Antigama have created a remarkably perplexing and dynamic exhibition of grinding metal throughout "Meteor," which stands as Antigama's sixth full-length record and marks thirteen years of slaughterhouse serenades for these Polish grindcore maestros. Sporting a genetic code somewhere between Mumakil and Napalm Death with an adoring avant-garde glaze on top, "Meteor" explores the thoughts of a grindcore outfit that has remained incredibly loyal and conventional to the concepts of this blast-laden subgenre while the group fearlessly interjects uncommon themes and dynamic processes into its thirty minutes of abstract destruction. Hell, this could be the event that books them a one-way ticket to the echelon of the grindcore gods.

"Meteor" shows signs of a band that has aged quite well into the world of grindcore. With nothing amateurish or awkward to boot, Antigama puts on an intergalactic rodeo of intensity from the record's birth to its timely moment of execution throughout this half-hour of futuristic carnage. With only eleven anthems cluttering up its space, "Meteor" starts simple but eventually ventures far out into the realms of creativity, a trade known by little of their cohorts. Straightforward tunes like "Collapse" and others show traditional traits of the grindcore virus mutating its host, throwing around frequent blast beats and unapologetic intensity. Antigama's riff work, however, appears as an army of brutal, cacophonous chords meshed into a beaming battalion of quasi-Napalm Death guitar patterns and standard mid-paced grooves. While the subgenre's known antics are common, Antigama moves forcibly without throwing itself into redundancy.

"Meteor" really makes things interesting when Antigama turns up the weird, just how I like it. Other than the off-kilter guitar structures, there's a vital sense of experimentalism within "Meteor" that never overcomplicates the overall picture. While emphasized differently throughout the journey, the edge is what makes the album imposing. The creative tilts range from the brief Mike Patton-esque gibberish vocals of "Fed by the Feeling" to the odd rhythms and sound effects throughout the sample-ridden "Stargate," although most cuts showcase a code of originality in some regard. "Turbulence" is a totally alien industrial-based instrumental featuring an eccentric keyboard solo that leads the record into "Perfect Silence" and its erratic blueprints of savage riffing and unapologetic aggression as Antigama is wont to do. "Untruth" is another weird one that paints itself in hammering mid-paced riffs and emits a cataclysmic atmosphere. Very nice.

"Meteor" doesn't clock up more than thirty minutes of running time, but many things are spoken of during Antigama's alien presentation of derangement. Both accessible and complicated, Antigama deserves praise for keeping its feet firmly planted into the soil of its influences while simultaneously branching out into brave territory often ignored or labeled inappropriate by most. Then again, not many groups like Antigama can conjure a Mumakil-meets-Fantτmas vibe that manages to keep its head on straight, and that kind of proper ingenuity within a frame often criticized for circling around itself definitely counts for something. Certainly worth the price of admission.

Antigama - Meteor

Rating:8.5

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