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 | Antagonist
An Envy Of Innocence
Dwell Records
8 out of 10
Band Website
"Art can't be judged objectively. No one decides what's good and bad. Nothing is universally right or wrong. Everything is personal preference. So by reviewing music, it all comes down to 2 things: A) you and I either have similar tastes, or B) I have to convince you that my tastes are right/better than yours."
I'm writing this to you on a shitty day in Boston. The weather sucks, people are complaining, and I'm covered in snow. It's fucking time for metal cause I've been pissed off all day. I had to jack off 3 times just to calm down enough to write this (and 2's usually when I dry up).
When I got home today, I listened to Antagonist about 20 times through. Now I wanna beat someone to death. Cause this is music to kick somebody's ass to. And I don't mean just anybody's ass- I'm talking about that guy whose ass you know you can beat. Cause challenge has no place in this kinda music. Antagonist is for total destruction.
The drum's double bass pedals signifying every violent punch and kick, the screams embodying your adrenaline-fueled hate unleashed on an unlucky victim, and the guitars being the speed of the action and chaos of the atmosphere. In-tense.
I love metal, man. I mean, I don't love it, but I love it. I've never "worshipped at the metal temple", or any other way Dee Snyder describes loving metal. But I love it like I love seeing that acquaintance I've always gotten along with (if we hung out too much, it'd ruin what we've got. We're just too different.)
But everyone's got their metal. I have this theory that everyone has an internal "metal threshold"- a specific level of stimulus that, once met, compels them to start thrashing out aggression. For some people, a Nickelback song's enough. For others, it's Zeppelin. But for that select pocket of man that gets off on Antagonist, fucking look out. These motherfuckers are nuts.
They embody those angry teens alienated by the Suburban Horror of cultureless strip malls and cookie cutter housing developments. How else can somebody lash out against the boredom of whitebread America than thrashing around like a primate?
Cause you gotta lash out at something to love Antagonist. Personally, when I first heard this I couldn't decide whether to hate my parents or the bullies at school. But I haven't been in school for 3 years- wait, um, well I guess if you count Catholic Sunday school at home. My dad teaches it. He's a bastard. Sometimes he makes me play a game called "Jesus Beard", where I kneel down in front of him and he sticks- oh jeez, I'm getting off topic, huh?
Anyway, when I hear metal like this, I wanna get all pissed off and drink enough whiskey to highlight the anger and lose all remorse. Cause when you drink that much and listen to Antagonist, you're a notch above animal level. Just running on instinct; wanting to fuck and kill anything that moves (so basically, you become Ted Nugent).
If I had to describe Antagonist, I'd say they're a cross between a subdued Slipknot, early Sevendust, and pre-Bruce Dickinson era Iron Maiden. I compare them to Sevendust/Slipknot and Iron Maiden mostly because of the guitars, which range from the "nuh-nuh-nuh-nunt, nuh-nuh-nuh-nunt, duh-duh-duh-dunt, duh-duh-duh-dunt" guitars of the former to the "doodoo-doodoo-doodoodoodoo, neow-neow neow-neow nanoneow" guitars of the latter (which is funny, because I'd normally side toward Maiden, but the band rips both ways). Also, I say pre-Bruce Dickinson era Maiden because Antag frontman Carlos Garcia sounds more like Paul Di'Anno (just screaming on every track. But in the end it doesn't matter what he's yelling, cause ya can't hear him anyway. Just play it loud).
Now, I describe the band as a whole because the tracks are interchangeable. The disk plays out like an hour-long indiscriminate metalfest. And that's awesome. Cause like I said, put this on if you're gonna fight somebody or, maybe, if you're lifting something heavy. And if I were you, I'd listen The Chaos We Breathe, Unless..., Liberation, Eyes Wide Shut, Despiertate, The Renouncement, Samsara, Valor and Villainy, Night Light, and Heal, My Wound. Ya that's right, the WHOLE fucking album.
Put it on, thrash around in your room till it's over, then lay down and jack off (or stand up; however you do it), while listening to Spiritualized's Ladies And Gentlemen: We're Floating In Space. It's therapeutic after a night of primitive air-guitaring.
*If you're wondering why I'm so enthusiastic here- I was in a metal band once called Whale Skin Suit. We were sort of an anti-environmentalist/ Peruvian death metal trio. Ya know, like, we'd show up to Save The Whales protests wearing perfume and chant "Save The Bones". Stuff like that. Oh and one time we had a Save The Bones telethon when we released our charity single, "We Are The World Of Whale Killers". It was awesome. We had a bunch of celebrities on it too, and Dan Akroyd.
~Nick Olds |
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