Antigama - Warning

March 12, 2009

Reviewer: Peter

Traditionally, the country of Poland is known for brutal death metal and black metal.  So it comes as something of a surprise that a grindcore band could come out of there.  That is the case for Antigama, who has actually made themselves known for almost a decade.   Their fifth full-length album, titled Warning, is full of quick blasts that will leave a mark on the listener while offering up some subtle rock riffs every now and then.

Even before getting into Warning, it becomes obvious to the listener that isn’t into grindcore that a pain threshold should be built up before trying to get into the entire album.  Antigama is all about high impact in a short period of time, which in many ways, explains why only the space noise laden track “Black Plannet” runs over the three minute mark (seven minutes, to be exact).  As for the other tracks, the music is reminiscent of Dillinger Escape Plan in some parts, as evidenced by the ability to keep the sonic frenzy in one piece while incorporating some rock riffs on songs such as “Jealousy,” “War,” and “Orange Pills.”  There are points where the action slows down, as “Sequenzia Dellamorte” and “Paganini Meets Barbaplex” provide brief opportunities for the listener to catch their breath before the next attack, with the latter sounding like a futuristic version of a jazz jam session.  The vocals of Partyk “Nick” Zwolinski are okay, but the music is what really drives the entire proceedings on Warning.  The drums are sometimes done so fast that one thinks that Antigama is using a drum machine in some parts.  Production is solid, ensuring that every note makes an impact on the listener’s ear drums.  Of course, unless you have been trained to tolerate grindcore, it would be wise to take in a few songs at a time, however short they are, and gradually work your way towards the entire album.  The last track “Black Plannet” is seven minutes of what amounts to a television channel going off for the evening.

Very few bands within any “core” genre stand out from all of the rest.  This is especially true of the grindcore genre, one in which short, but violent songs are the norm.  Antigama does all of that, but they also add a few small tricks that make them worth the attention.  Warning should be just that for the listener: a warning to keep all of the breakables in a safe place and ears attentive to everything on the album.  Failure to heed such a warning may result in the good China getting broken and some missed attention to detail, something that Antigama does very well.  A spot in the top ten albums for 2009 is not out of the question for Warning.

Release Date: March 3rd, 2009
Label: Relapse Records

TRACK LISTING

1. Disconnected
2. Jealousy
3. City
4. Another
5. Not True
6. War
7. Heartbeat
8. Preachers Pray
9. Sequenzia Dellamorte
10. You Have The Right
      To Remain Violent
11. Lost Skull
12. Nightmare
13. Paganini Meets Barbapapex
14. Empty Room
15. Orange Pills
16. Black Planet

Total playing time: 35:44

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