Ελληνικά
Last Updated on 08:38 PM by Giorgos Tsekas
“We strike; the Militia of Death! We’re here to take your breath away!”
Antichrist is a sonic bomb, exploding from Sweden. Most naturally, the first bands that will pop into your mind when you think of Sweden will be Nocturnal, Nifelheim, Gehennah, Bestial Mockery, Gravehammer and many more similarly extreme metal acts. Sweden’s tradition of extreme scene keeps on going and is reinforced by releases, such as Antichrist’s “Forbidden World”, which annihilates every single poseur or those that don’t take things seriously.
“Forbidden World” is Antichrist’s first full length record and was released via High Roller Records. It followed the path that “Crushing Metal Tape” (2009) and “Put To Death” (2010) paved. You don’t have to listen to “Forbidden World” more than once to be captivated by its magnificence and to realize that it’s a manifestation of brilliant musicianship and hellish outbursts.
The record’s artwork and the songs’ titles unveil Antichrist’s intentions from the very first glimpse. Blue hands with crooked fingernails ready to uproot your windpipe, spring up from a weird planet that has nothing to do with our Earth. Then you’ll read the tracks’ titles; “Dark Sorcery”, “Necropolis”, “Sign of the Beast”, “Terror Dimension”… the only way to deal with this is to nod in consent, accepting your fate and surrender to the eerie, menacing darkness that unfolds right in front of you.
“Forbidden World” consists of ten tracks in total, two of which are instrumental (see “Forbidden World” and “Minotaur”). At their core, the tracks are a giant and abysmal Black / Thrash explosion that nail you down from the first seconds. There is a consensus that they clearly belong to the bands that revived the Thrash genre and its old – school sound, but, if you pay close attention to the compositions of the tracks, there are Black Metal elements, so it would be safest to classify them amidst the cauldrons of Black / Thrash genre. Musically and lyrically, they are based on the recipe of the dark and diabolical, edgy sound of early Sodom / Kreator. At some points Possessed will dominate your thoughts, while Dark Angel suspects everything from a distance. Of course, during the melodic and calmer parts, there are NWOBHM touches with an Iron Maiden essence and a pinch of (first era) Slayer. Well, that’s good, but don’t you dare think that we’re dealing with a simple, poor copy of all these. Nothing is regurgitated. Essentially, they embraced this torrential, throat-cutting, rough style that was built back and then they created a form totally different from other bands by adding their personal style and unique sense of music. They did not discover the wheel; however it seems that Antichrist know very well what they’re doing. No imitations. Antichrist builds on what they were given beforehand; merciless guitars, extreme drums, bass and vocals that stand out and blow you up with their primitivism. Antichrist are etched indelibly in our memory, whether we want it or not. To be more specific, let’s elaborate on some tracks to fully engulf what’s going on here.
The album starts in the best possible way, with an excellent triple combo that books a one-way ticket to hell. We start with “Dark Sorcery” and a riff that falls on you like a guillotine and lyrics (“Die by the spells of the deeeead”) that will stick with you until your hair become gray. Or fall. Or whatever. You catch my drift. “Militia of Death” and “Torment in Hell” follow with rapid, yet meticulously written guitars, the way they should be, and pounding drums that raise your blood pressure to dangerous levels. The solo in the middle of “Torment in Hell” and the tantrums that come right after that are amazing, placing the song amidst the record’s highlights. Immediately after that, the first instrumental track of the record hit us. That’s “Forbidden World”, whose nice touch is so relaxing, at a very crucial point for the record. “Necropolis” is our next stop, an epic 8minute track that steals your breath away. You cannot realize when it starts and when it ends. It has a formidable structure and a stable development, removing from you any ideas of fatigue or boredom. The amphitheater-like voices, the reverb that makes you think you’re in a cave, the opening oriental riff, the outbreak after the third minute… What else is left to be said? We are talking about an opus! Same thing happens with the second instrumental track of the record, “Minotaur”. Same length, same feelings, even if it is purely instrumental. “Victims of the Blade” belongs to the top tracks of the album and I dare to think that it maybe hosts the best solo the band has ever written. Up until now, everything flowed smoothly. That’s the point when everything is smashed, by the best track of all… The ultimate hymn… The track that throws you on the beach rocks and sends you to hell in a gift box with purple ribbon on the side… The “Sign of The Beast”. It has the ability to wake up patients who have fallen into a chronic coma. Especially that freakin’ introductory scream full of despair, rapes our minds and our guts with an electric chainsaw.
It’s quite clear now; Antichrist follows what I stated in the beginning. No classic, monotone, rectilinear compositions are found here, unlike other bands who want to revive the Thrash genre via compositions that lack passion and imagination. Some may call Antichrist retro or blind worshipers of the old-school tunes; however the perfect compositions and Anton Sunesson’s shrill voice deconstruct our universe. Especially this extreme combo of high – pitched vocals, infernal screams and cries of torture, is enchanting.
Lyrically, as expected, you shouldn’t expect anything less than pitch darkness, street violence, gutting, occult, devil worship, blood, horror. It wouldn’t be reasonable, after all.
As far as the production goes, “Forbidden World” feels like it was recorded in the previous decade, but at the same time, what you listen to, has nothing to do with that. They have successfully managed to combine both old – school and modern sound, without this meaning that the final result is false, plastic, irritatingly polished.
Antichrist haven’t released any new material since 2013, when they released “Burned Beyond Recognition” as two-track single, with the title track “Burned Beyond Recognition” and a cover of “Kill With Napalm”, originally performed by Evil Blood. It’s about time to show us some compassion, a hint of love, a compensation for the mental injuries and release something new, to hopefully saturate our thirst (I don’t think that will actually happen, though).
Ultimately, it is commonly accepted that we’re talking about one of the best, sickest and most perverse records ever released. We can all see that through the hype “Forbidden World” created when it was released. Nothing is a coincidence. 44 minutes of frantic, destructive music is what we need. There may have been just four years since its release, however, it’s already considered a classic.
PS 1. Possible contraindications: chronic nightmares to tormented souls, seizures for epileptics.
PS 2. Antichrist is ideal for those who dig Nekromantheon, Deathhammer, Cruel Force, Nocturnal, Entrench etc.
PS 3. For those who want to live it a bit more louder, should you have the time, dive into the vast pool of bands in which the members of the Antichrist have participated in from time to time, sometimes in a different position from what you expect. Check them: Witchgrave, Necrovasion, Eviscerated, Awaken Horror, Disborn, Graveless, The Rotthing, Nightmare City.
PS 4. DIE BY THE SPELLS OF THE DEEEAAAD!!!
