Anthesis - "False Content" (Song Premiere)

May 17, 2017

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At first blush, Anthesis seems like an odd name for a noisy sludge band. The term refers to the flowering period of a plant, starting from the first opening of the flower bud. In some varieties of plant, the moment of anthesis can be quite spectacular. However, it doesn’t necessarily always result in beautiful blossoms. For example, carrion flowers like the titan arum derive their name from the fact that they smell like rotting flesh when in bloom.

In this light, it’s tempting to consider the first note of “The Path to Enlightenment,” the opening track on The Age of Self, as the album’s moment of anthesis, and the rest of the New Brunswick-based trio’s first-full length in seven years as their period of bloom. Slow, dissonant, and paint-peelingly caustic, that opening blast perfectly sets the tone for what’s to come over the next thirty-five minutes. There’s nary a moment of respite as the band gnashes their way through an exquisitely unpleasant set of tracks like the grindingly intense “Pension Teeth,” the more muscular hardcore of “Abscent,” and the abrasive crawl of “Shattered Into a Sea of Light.” Even in their comparatively more melodic moments, like the technical death metal-leaning break in “Empty Vessels,” that infusion of melody sounds so alien that it increases the overall tension of the track instead of offering any kind of release.

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“False Content,” which we’re premiering below, sees the band at their most aggressive. The track combines sharp, angular riffing with more mid-tempo, dissonant sections and a vocal that makes Human Furnace sound relatively serene by comparison.

-Clayton Michaels

According to the band:

“False Content” is one of the songs that went through the most changes on The Age of Self. It was pretty much torn apart and half was thrown out. From it’s beginning stages, it’s also one of the oldest songs on the album. I’m glad that it got transformed into what it is now because it’s one of my favourites to play live and is a unique one on the album as well.”

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