Review Summary: If this is just the beginning for Antemasque, it's an auspicious start with a little room to grow.
The latest iteration of the Cedric (Bixler) and Omar (Rodriquez-Lopez) Show has landed and the results are less charred earth and more unearthed charm. Featuring (write in pencil) once
Mars Volta fan, once Mars Volta tour drummer Dave Elitch and--at least for now--Omar's brother, Manfred Rodriguez-Lopez. Old pal Flea lends a hand in the studio and thus,
Antemasque plants a flag.
Watching, waiting / black and white surveillance / I hope that nothing's going wrong. -4AM
4AM pops to life with a memorable, peach-fuzzed lead and declines to take a breath while Bixler emotes in a typically vague fashion about domestic abuse or maybe not that at all. Regardless, the results are compelling. In a theme that repeats with few omissions, 4 piece rock n roll rules the day and there's little auxiliary instrumentation of which to speak.
Less density and a more piecemeal set affords Bixler's vocals more immediacy and variation.
I Got No Remorse is a bullet train with moments that recall vintage Volta while
Ride Like the Devil's Son cooks, despite Bixler's sometimes awkward phrases.
The Bible / yes the Bible is the truth. -Ride Like the Devil's Son
Sandwiched between dense layers of balls-out rockers,
Drown All Your Witches weaves a wistful tale of loss
Going to California style while
Providence enters the room like a man in a tuxedo, sweating confidence. The roiling verse shares space with Bixler's from-the-nether emoting before erupting into the cathartic, guttural chorus:
You will burn / You will burn me at the stake / because Providence, she don't live here anymore. -Providence
There are no true duds present, though some will struggle with tracks like
50,000 Kilowatts and
Rome Armed to the Teeth, which find musical and vocal experimentation in the case of the former and a rather run-of-the-mill everysong for the latter. However,
Momento Mori cuts with
Police-like precision and an imminently memorable hook while
People Forget--a jewel near the end of the set--heaves with sweaty radio rock delivery and a repeated mantra that demands fist-pumping.
Overall, while Bixler is less arcane (and sometimes less interesting), he's in great shape vocally. Omar Rodriqez-Lopez again proves a creative force as sonic architect and if this is just the beginning for
Antemasque, it's an auspicious start with a little room to grow.
Musicianship: 4.0
Vocals: 3.5
Lyrics: 3.0
Continuity: 3.0
Great songs: 2.5
Replay value: 3.5
Overall: 3.5
[Rewritten 8.11.14 after consideration.]
