The Pitch: Minnesota thrashy melodeath band Antiverse make a return with Under The Regolith via Seeing Red Records. FFO: Exmortus, The Haunted, In Flames
What I Like: I was excited to review Antiverse's new album. Their previous work, Cosmic Horror, was an excellent break out onto the scene and a strong effort in the genre. Scattered throughout this new release are a number of great riffs that had me drawing comparisons to everything from Exmortus to In Flames. thrashy hooks are pervasive, and the driving harmonies and solos are worthy of your attention. Similarly the drumming is strong, as are the powerful death metal vocals. When taken as the sum of its parts, Under the Regolith should be really great...
Critiques: Unfortunately, this album has one major problem, but it is one so pervasive throughout that it ends up significantly dragging it down both musicianship and enjoyability. This is one of song length. With multiple songs that are 6+ minutes but without the diversity and structure to support them, things become tedious. By the end I was frustrated knowing how much better many of these songs would be if you cut their length in half.
The Verdict: There are a lot of individual pieces that please me about Antiverse's latest album, but sadly they get overshadowed by the monotany. Even so, I think thst the album is worthy of a listen and showcases the band's various strengths. I at least recommend backtracking to the previous album, and encourage the band to think more in terms of quality over quantity.
Flight's Fav's: Gravedigger, Black Waves Of Sorcery, Hallucigenia
- Review by FlightOfIcarus
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