Strangelight
steak(knife) no more
Pick of the Month
Antimatter
Saviour
~reviewed by Eric Rasmussen
Before I heard Antimatter, I wasn't sure if blood ties to the acclaimed Anathema would pre-dispose Antimatter to sounding a lot like the infamous doom metal act. At the very least, I did expect Antimatter to be partially a metal band. It isn't. Not even a little. Now before you go running off for one reason or another (I tend to have that affect on people), I'll tell you right off that Saviour is an excellent album worth the attention of anyone into any kind of dark music.
Many descriptions of the band have been floating about, and one that stuck with me basically described a darker Portishead. Antimatter does bear a resemblance to Portishead, and they are, in fact, darker. Perhaps that's why the comparison stuck. Antimatter's music is very calm and melancholic. In addition to the backing orchestrations, the songs are full of straightforward beats and bass lines that are often very catchy and capable of lulling the listener into an almost hypnotic state. The problem is that once you've reached that state, the depressing lyrics and feeling of dejection can take their toll. Saviour is the kind of album that is best to listen to when you feel you're a little too wound up, or maybe the week has been going unexpectedly well in the kind of way that irritatingly infringes on your usual vortex of negativity.
There are a number of different female vocalists adding their various touches to Saviour, as well as vocal performances by two males. I like to give credit where it's due, but my tired mind was incapable of deciphering the array of track numbers and symbols surrounding each of the many vocalists in the liner notes. After an exhausting decoding process that ultimately failed I decided I'd be better off just enjoying the music, and I'll leave the number work to Stephen Hawking.
"over your shoulder" is one of my favorite songs off of Saviour. It has a great guitar melody, and the male and female vocalists divulge wilderness survival tips very effectively. The atmosphere is relaxed and even a bit on the serene side, but there is a certain sadness to the low-key song. "god is coming" comes as a surprise every time I listen through Saviour. It is a startlingly intense song with urgently demanding vocals that, frankly, freak me out just a little. This is what people are going to blare on loudspeakers as the apocalypse is taking place. Now, I know what you might be thinking - an intense song by a band related to Anathema, it must have heavy guitars, right? No! You're horribly, horribly wrong if you think that! The song instead has a backing string section that is quite foreboding, and a somewhat harsh series of electronic sounds and beats.
I think that "psalms" is one of the most representative songs on the whole CD, and coincidentally that's the song you can grab right on this page: http://www.theendrecords.com/labelindex.html "psalms" has a steady beat and a decidedly dark orchestral accompaniment that comfortably adds color to the catchy guitar theme and bass riffs. The vocals are also undeniably catchy, though they are equally melancholic and emotive. The final result is a song that is expressive, a little depressing, and damn listenable.
I'm still not entirely sure how music this sad can maintain the level listenability that it does. I'm also not sure if listenability is a word. The point is - the moments tinged with hope are outweighed by the generally lamenting atmosphere, but it's the kind of thing that could conceivably still make its way onto any radio station that plays Portishead or similar music.
The US version of Saviour features excellent acoustic versions of "over your shoulder" and "flowers," making it worth your while to seek out The End Records distribution of this album. If you are into dark semi-electronic music with easy going vocals and a quietly distressing atmosphere then you should be first in line to give Antimatter a listen. Anyone coming from the doom metal side of things should also find a lot of appealing material here, but without any of the heavyness or crunch that you might be used to. I do tend to think that the atmosphere and the strength with which it's conveyed should be more important than genre trappings, however, so if you really appreciate darker music of any variety, there's no reason not to give Antimatter a chance.
Antimatter
Saviour
~reviewed by Eric Rasmussen
Before I heard Antimatter, I wasn't sure if blood ties to the acclaimed Anathema would pre-dispose Antimatter to sounding a lot like the infamous doom metal act. At the very least, I did expect Antimatter to be partially a metal band. It isn't. Not even a little. Now before you go running off for one reason or another (I tend to have that affect on people), I'll tell you right off that Saviour is an excellent album worth the attention of anyone into any kind of dark music.
Many descriptions of the band have been floating about, and one that stuck with me basically described a darker Portishead. Antimatter does bear a resemblance to Portishead, and they are, in fact, darker. Perhaps that's why the comparison stuck. Antimatter's music is very calm and melancholic. In addition to the backing orchestrations, the songs are full of straightforward beats and bass lines that are often very catchy and capable of lulling the listener into an almost hypnotic state. The problem is that once you've reached that state, the depressing lyrics and feeling of dejection can take their toll. Saviour is the kind of album that is best to listen to when you feel you're a little too wound up, or maybe the week has been going unexpectedly well in the kind of way that irritatingly infringes on your usual vortex of negativity.
There are a number of different female vocalists adding their various touches to Saviour, as well as vocal performances by two males. I like to give credit where it's due, but my tired mind was incapable of deciphering the array of track numbers and symbols surrounding each of the many vocalists in the liner notes. After an exhausting decoding process that ultimately failed I decided I'd be better off just enjoying the music, and I'll leave the number work to Stephen Hawking.
"over your shoulder" is one of my favorite songs off of Saviour. It has a great guitar melody, and the male and female vocalists divulge wilderness survival tips very effectively. The atmosphere is relaxed and even a bit on the serene side, but there is a certain sadness to the low-key song. "god is coming" comes as a surprise every time I listen through Saviour. It is a startlingly intense song with urgently demanding vocals that, frankly, freak me out just a little. This is what people are going to blare on loudspeakers as the apocalypse is taking place. Now, I know what you might be thinking - an intense song by a band related to Anathema, it must have heavy guitars, right? No! You're horribly, horribly wrong if you think that! The song instead has a backing string section that is quite foreboding, and a somewhat harsh series of electronic sounds and beats.
I think that "psalms" is one of the most representative songs on the whole CD, and coincidentally that's the song you can grab right on this page: http://www.theendrecords.com/labelindex.html "psalms" has a steady beat and a decidedly dark orchestral accompaniment that comfortably adds color to the catchy guitar theme and bass riffs. The vocals are also undeniably catchy, though they are equally melancholic and emotive. The final result is a song that is expressive, a little depressing, and damn listenable.
I'm still not entirely sure how music this sad can maintain the level listenability that it does. I'm also not sure if listenability is a word. The point is - the moments tinged with hope are outweighed by the generally lamenting atmosphere, but it's the kind of thing that could conceivably still make its way onto any radio station that plays Portishead or similar music.
The US version of Saviour features excellent acoustic versions of "over your shoulder" and "flowers," making it worth your while to seek out The End Records distribution of this album. If you are into dark semi-electronic music with easy going vocals and a quietly distressing atmosphere then you should be first in line to give Antimatter a listen. Anyone coming from the doom metal side of things should also find a lot of appealing material here, but without any of the heavyness or crunch that you might be used to. I do tend to think that the atmosphere and the strength with which it's conveyed should be more important than genre trappings, however, so if you really appreciate darker music of any variety, there's no reason not to give Antimatter a chance.
