Review Summary: An unheard of band delivers a sadly unheard of debut album.
Hey, first review. Crucify thy if necessary.
Hailing from everyone's stereotypical bitch in New Zealand (the race card has been pulled - the review is awkward from here on), Antagonist deliver a stunning debut worthy of alot more recognition than it has got since its original release in 2006. The 2008 re-release seeks to rectify that, which it unfortunately hasn't done. However - do not let that be a detriment to what you hear if you decide to purchase this - this is hardcore at its best.
Poor production quality is in this aspect, one of the highlights of the album in my opinion. The scratchiness reminisces of a 90's thrash punk band from somewhere north east of Spokane killing people in thier garages, a sound that Antagonist (A.D.) have perhaps accidently managed to replicate. Whilst this may seem like a bit of a detriment, this aspect gestates an extremely hateful and ultimately pissed-off feel throughout the entire album.
Technicality may be maligned slightly here, as the breakdown is often used as way to end a song, or start the album for that matter. Overuse of these breakdowns is a bit of a dud feeling (in places), as they often sound quite the same. For example, the opening title track finishes with the breakdown, and the second track of "The Walking Dead" basically starts as a breakdown. While this is not a bad thing, as these breakdowns are pretty awesome, many songs have at least two or three breakdowns within, many sounding synonymous with each other.
However, despite these grievances, Antagonist deliver a much more than worthy hardcore debut. This album should not be changed for anything, remastering and doctoring would be a crime against this relatively unheard of masterpiece (?).
