2024 Vision of God Records / CD
www.visionofgodrecords.com
Yes, Ominous Vomit will also cover the Christian bands. They
believe in their music just as much as the Satanic bands, so why wouldn’t we?
And the metal scene would miss out on some gems in the process, if we relegate
them to their own corner. I don’t care about your convictions or lifestyle as
long as you aren’t faking them and you’re making good metal. Those of us that
grew up in more strict Christian households during America’s Satanic Panic who
liked metal were forced to turn to Christian metal, at least when our mothers
were watching, since heavy metal itself was being vilified (incorrectly, mind
you, but that’s the nature of a panic, isn’t it?). That’s how I found out about
bands like Deliverance and Mortification, and when I kept digging I found
Sacred Warrior, Bloodgood, and bands of that nature. I still like them to this
day. My mother was the one who gave me the “Ultimate Metal Volume 2”
compilation tape with Deliverance’s “If You Will” on it, and was one of the
releases that sealed my fate for being into extreme metal in general.
Which brings us to Antidemon from Brazil. They’ve been
around forever, for almost as long as I’ve been into metal, with their first
demo being dated 1994. I’m the first one to admit, their early material was a
bit rough on the ears, and I had not counted myself a fan at all. This seems to
have been mostly resolved. It’s been a full 12 years since their last full
length, which I can barely remember liking a bit. On this record they lean into
the mid-paced thrash and focus less on the grind, but this is a pure death
metal record from start to finish. Even if I had no idea who they were, I would
be able to probably tell theyr’e Brazilian, since bands from Brazil seem to
have a certain stamp musically that shines through, a lot like Krisiun does, or
Sarcofago, Vulcano, Mystifier, Sepultura – the list goes on and on. You can just
tell. I don’t know if its their respective rhythm sections or what. They have
that “Brazilian sound.”
The music itself here is excellent. I like the doom
influence on “The New Covenant,” and the brutal grinding thrash of “The Battle
of the Kingdoms,” which has a ton of Slayer-esque elements to it. The opening of
“Worthy Is the Lamb,” with its full-on 1990s style death metal attack held my
attention nicely as well, and that’s the story for the entire record, really. The
NY-style hardcore punk riffs in “The Spirit of Truth” were also excellent, and
a welcome change of pace. It’s solid musically, if not outstanding. The only
criticism I’ll have is the same one I’ve always had with this band – the vocals.
While they’re not unlistenable, they’re strange, and they don’t vary in pattern
much – it’s like the singer is stuck in the same song, and I wish that wasn’t
the case. They’re clearly powerfully performed, but I’m not sure how the sound
he’s getting is being made, whether it’s an inhale-based approach, or something
else. I’m truly at a loss to describe it. It’s just not my favorite style of vocal,
and there’s just such a weird quality to it that I can’t describe fully. However,
it doesn’t make or break the record for me.
While this album didn’t crush me completely, it does a good
enough job of being interesting enough for repeated listens. I can see myself spinning it once every so
often. It’s not earth-shattering stuff, but it’s not bad in any way, and is often
quite good. If you can get past the strange vocal tone, that is – but I’m someone
who also listens to goregrind, so I obviously can. I’ll be interested to hear
what they do next, since they’re clearly on the right track.
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