Hey fellow Quebecer. I agree with most of what you said but... Antti an average guitar player? His riffs couldn't be catchier and the solos...Swamplord, They Will Return and Swampsong all have breathtaking solos, i don't see how Antti isn't a god to you. Unless you're talking about live performance where i have to agree it wasn't perfect when i saw them. Easy to understand if you consider the small number of shows they give.
All that coming from a guy who had to take a lot of time before appreciating The Black Waltz (i had been dreaming about Infernal Death for more than a month, TBW was a shock). It seems like you love TBW so that may be were we differ.