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Antigama are grindcore’s most underrated band. The genre is filled with bands even enthusiasts couldn’t tell apart in a blind taste test, but Antigama are instantly recognizable. Their chords are skewed, their drummer sounds like the soundtrack to Scooby Doo, and they drop jazz interludes for the hell of it. All this fits within the genre’s requisite micro-songs. Antigama bludgeon as much as their peers; their tools are just weirder.
HeartbeatYou Have the Right to Remain Violent
Resonance was phenomenal, one of my favorite records of 2007 (review here). Warning (Relapse, 2009) is even better. It’s grittier and wirier. Krzysztof Bentkowski’s toms are again in full plumage – dig the whimsical accents in “Heartbeat”! The syncopations in “You Have the Right to Remain Violent” are deadly. An avant-jazz interlude and a dark ambient track are oddballs even in this sea of strangeness. They’re tucked at the end, though, and by then they somehow make sense.
Concise lyrics set out urban dystopia: “Follow me / Infiltrate / We’ve lost connection / Follow me”; “Serpent / Clock / City.” Appropriately, Orion Landau’s artwork portrays faceless clones in rectilinear structures. The paper is matte, and the presentation is stark. Unlike, say, ASRA or Defeatist, whose grindcore comes from the belly of the beast, Antigama observe from above with a mercilessly clear eye.
Love this band and you’re correct, they don’t get enough praise!
Love these guys; been a fan since Zeroland and the split with NYIA. You’re right, the new one is fantastic.
I love this band!!! I bought Resonance two years ago and they definitely have that dirgy Swans vibe. The first night of their US tour is with Complete Failure at Metal Shaker, that show’s gonna grind hard!!!
These guys have yet to disappoint me. All those that think grind’s got no breathing room need to listen to Warning. I reviewed it rather positively on Cerebral Metalhead this week.
been a follower since discomfort,
saw them live in february and got photos with the guys.
just so unique and aggressive,
they never disappoint.