Antares Predator - Twilight of the Apocalypse

April 24, 2010

Reviewer: Roswell47

When I first popped Twilight of the Apocalypse into my CD player, the only thing I really knew about Antares Predator was that the band featured former members of Keep of Kalessin and Belphegor, and that the album cover pictured a robotic angel that looked like it was probably created by Skynet.  My opinion of Twilight of the Apocalypse would evolve continuously over the course of the next two weeks. 

Upon my first listen I was caught off guard by what I heard.  The first track, a straight-up blackened thrash assault, set the tone with an evil atmosphere.  "This is going to be a completely dark, Dissection-like album," I thought.  Wrong!  The second track began in the same dark manner, but then I was surprised by an oddball riff at the 1:15 mark that stuck out like a sore thumb.  This guitar part seemed plain goofy when compared to everything else that I had heard so far.  The riff ruined the dark vibe instantly.  More strange parts popped up over the course of the rest of the album.  Unexpectedly, keyboards were introduced more prominently beginning with track five and continued to appear on most of the following tracks.  Overall, the album felt a little "off" and confused because of the strange guitar riffs that cropped up here and there.  The album was also kind of plain and maybe even a little boring due to some repetitive parts and average riffs.  I actually had to force myself to listen to Twilight of the Apocalypse the first few times I heard it.  Then something strange happened.  One day when not consciously thinking about it, I noticed that some Antares Predator songs were stuck in my head...especially those "strange" guitar riffs.  I decided to listen to the album again and realized that it had suddenly begun to click with me.   

But enough about what I thought about the album initially.  How does it seem after a couple of weeks of dedicated attention?  While not flawless, this is a very solid, enjoyable album.  Antares Predator attempt to blend some of their own unique ideas with tried and true blackened thrash, and they succeed for the most part.  At times I hear some Emperor and Keep of Kalessin in their sound, although Antares Predator are really more thrashy than black metal.  I hate to compare them to Keep of Kalessin since that seems a little too obvious, but they do sound relatively similar at certain moments.  Like Keep of Kalessin, the vocals are a raspy mid-range growl.  At times the vocals fit the songs perfectly, but upon occasion the vocalist seems to be struggling a bit.  I do not know the lyrical content of the album for sure since I do not have lyrics.  Judging by the cover and song titles, I would guess that they deal with post-apocalyptic sci-fi topics.  (Is "Mark 13" based on the sci-fi movie Hardware about a robotic killing machine?  I can only speculate.  And what the hell is "BBQ Epilogue" about?  Maybe it's about the earth after nuclear annihilation?  Were barbecued people left in the aftermath?) 

Antares Predator's greatest strength lies in the interaction between the guitar and drums.  While the guitar doesn't play anything terribly flashy most of the time, it sounds amazing when it locks together seamlessly with the double bass drumming.  There are numerous instances of these jaw-dropping parts that flash by quickly in several songs.  This guitar/drum interplay reminds me of Megadeth's ultra-precise riffs, specifically the beginning of "Take No Prisoners" and "Holy Wars."  The tremolo-picked guitar riffs lock together with the drums like fine machinery.  The riffs flutter by so quickly that the guitarist sounds like he has a robotic humming bird for a right hand. The guitar tone is only mildly distorted, which seems odd at first, but it allows for great clarity.  The Antares Predator drummer is definitely no slouch either.  He switches up the double bass rhythms often, rather than playing the same thing continuously throughout the song.  He uses some tasty ride cymbal accents along the way as well, especially in "Through the Deep." 

The album's production does not have much bottom end at all.  On the plus side, this allows for great clarity for all of the instruments during the fastest parts.  The drawback is there's not a whole lot of meat as far as the bass frequencies are concerned.  The bass guitar is largely undetected most of the time.  Still, the bass plays an important role when needed.  It's the main focus in the previously mentioned "oddball" riff found in "BBQ Epilogue."  The bass also plays a prominent part in the intro to "Through the Deep" by interacting with pizzicato string parts!  The part only lasts for about three seconds (and I'm sure it's keyboards rather than real strings), but it makes my ears perk up every time. 

After spending so much time with this album, I have come to appreciate the band's little quirks, and I feel like I understand what they are about more now than I did the first time I put the CD in my player.  The oddball riffs now feel like part of their style to me and actually sound like they fit in the songs in a weird way.  However, my complaint about the album being plain at times still remains.  Sometimes they let a riff wear out its welcome before they move on to another.  At other times the songs feel too repetitive.  This album would be much more enjoyable if it were about two songs shorter, or if they would have trimmed some of the more average parts.  Having said that, I am extremely surprised at how much Twilight of the Apocalypse grew on me.  Antares Predator has won me over.  Hopefully these guys will iron out the few kinks in their formula and return with an even stronger album next time.  I'm definitely looking forward to checking it out.   

Release Date: February 5th, 2010
Label: Battlegod Productions

TRACK LISTING

1.  Downfall
2.  Bbq Epilogue
3.  Wastelands
4.  As Dragons Roam the Sky
5.  Sacrament
6.  Mark 13
7.  Orion
8.  Through The Deep
9.  Twilight of the Apocalypse
10.  Death

Total playing time:  45:59

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