Maroon - Antagonist
Catalyst Records - CR17 - 2002
By Philip Whitehouse
I may well be guilty of taking a while to deliver my album reviews from time to time, but trust me, the fact that this album originally came out in 2002 isn't an indication of near record-breaking apathy on my part. Nope, this is, in fact, a re-release of German straight-edge/vegan metalcore quintet Maroon's first full-length album, a re-release presumably motivated by metalcore's current 'in vogue' status and Maroon's next album's arrival being imminent. Listening to it is a little bit depressing, as it happens, since it shows just how static and resistent to change metalcore has been during it's relatively short lifespan.
Bellowed, enraged vocals, thick guitars launching chugging riffs and dissonant chords, pounding rhythms and stomping grooves, it's all present and correct within the eleven proper tracks on Antagonist (two tracks are fairly pointless rainwater soundscapes). It's very reminiscent of early Caliban, although their occasional tremolo-picked riffage also brings a less devastating All Shall Perish to mind. The production gives the guitars admirable crunch and the drums an insistent force, and the songwriting is consistent, if not amazingly imaginative.
In all honesty, it's hard to really recommend this unless you're an absolutely rabid fan of the genre - and something tells me there aren't really that many of those around these parts. For your straight-edge needs, Earth Crisis still haven't really been bettered. For more accessible metalcore, Heaven Shall Burn (whose vocalist Marcus Bischoff turns up on a track her) are a more enticing proposition. And for more extreme, punishing take on more or less the same sound, All Shall Perish far outstrip Maroon. Whichever aspect of the band's sound you like, there'll be another band that does it better - which makes Maroon, sadly, rather redundant.
5.5/10
Official Catalyst Records Website
Catalyst Records - CR17 - 2002
By Philip Whitehouse
I may well be guilty of taking a while to deliver my album reviews from time to time, but trust me, the fact that this album originally came out in 2002 isn't an indication of near record-breaking apathy on my part. Nope, this is, in fact, a re-release of German straight-edge/vegan metalcore quintet Maroon's first full-length album, a re-release presumably motivated by metalcore's current 'in vogue' status and Maroon's next album's arrival being imminent. Listening to it is a little bit depressing, as it happens, since it shows just how static and resistent to change metalcore has been during it's relatively short lifespan.
Bellowed, enraged vocals, thick guitars launching chugging riffs and dissonant chords, pounding rhythms and stomping grooves, it's all present and correct within the eleven proper tracks on Antagonist (two tracks are fairly pointless rainwater soundscapes). It's very reminiscent of early Caliban, although their occasional tremolo-picked riffage also brings a less devastating All Shall Perish to mind. The production gives the guitars admirable crunch and the drums an insistent force, and the songwriting is consistent, if not amazingly imaginative.
In all honesty, it's hard to really recommend this unless you're an absolutely rabid fan of the genre - and something tells me there aren't really that many of those around these parts. For your straight-edge needs, Earth Crisis still haven't really been bettered. For more accessible metalcore, Heaven Shall Burn (whose vocalist Marcus Bischoff turns up on a track her) are a more enticing proposition. And for more extreme, punishing take on more or less the same sound, All Shall Perish far outstrip Maroon. Whichever aspect of the band's sound you like, there'll be another band that does it better - which makes Maroon, sadly, rather redundant.
5.5/10
Official Catalyst Records Website
