:: Antagonist - These Cities, Our Graves

Antagonist

Despite having visited Australian shores several times over the last couple of years, New Zealand based metallic hardcore outfit Antagonist have finally secured a label willing to please their debut full-length effort ‘These Cities, Our Graves’. Originally recorded and released back in 2006, ‘These Cities, Our Graves’ has now been enhanced with two extra songs (Both ‘Distance’ and ‘Stranger’ were released on the ‘Distance’ EP in 2007, and have been added to the original nine tracks), which allows the band to offer a little a bit more bang for your buck, with the running length now just under a half an hour. After a quick seventy second introductory piece (‘These Cities, Our Graves’), Antagonist waste little time getting into the thick of things. ‘The Walking Dead’ is a huge sounding number with the production ensuring that the band’s sound comes across as every bit as heavy as they do onstage. There is certainly a commanding growl in the vocals that projects as much emotion and energy as the band themselves, even if the occasional clean line sounds a little weak.

From here on in, the album rarely lets up, with tracks such as the melodic death metal influenced ‘Hollywood’, the punishing ‘Show Some Heart (Go Vegan)’, the catchy ‘The Birth Of Tragedy’, the fast paced and the slightly more technically challenging ‘Suicide Girls’ standing out as the strongest offerings. The ridiculously titled ‘Q: What Do You Call Getting A Handjob From Mrs Calloways In The Back Of Her Jaguar? A: A F**king Lie.’ is perhaps a bit of an oddity with its dominant death metal sound over the usual hardcore/metalcore sound, while ‘Distance’ and ‘Stranger’ don’t quite have the same punch in the production as the other tracks. But regardless of the faults, they’re all still solid tracks. Given the reception the band received on their recent supporting slot to Parkway Drive around the country, Antagonist’s latest release is one to keep an eye out for if you’re on the lookout for quality hardcore, and certain to establish the band here within our growing hardcore scene.