ANTEMASQUE – Antemasque
aaamusic | On 02, Dec 2014
It was earlier today that I opened my email to find that something incredibly exciting had plopped through my virtual letterbox…
This, my friends, was the announcement of a brand new album from the thunderous duo behind such creations as At The Drive-In and the powerful, Frankenstein’s Monster of an outfit known as The Mars Volta. Cedric Bixler-Zavala and Omar Rodriguez-Lopez have whipped-up their collaborative minds in a cosmic blender once again to deliver (with the added musical drive and presence of former Mars Volta drummer Dave Elitch) an incredible piece of work. I was absolutely serious about preparing myself for receiving a pillaging of my eardrums, the likes of which I have not felt for some time. I can tell you, there are not enough Boy Scout badges in the world that could prepare me for this album. From this formidable ‘Super Group’ (one that had previously worked with the Red Hot Chili Peppers ‘Bottom-End Boss’ Flea), I start their self-titled album with ‘4 AM’.
‘4 AM’ is a noticeably simplistic track compared to the previous works of the songsmiths within this group. This is by no means a criticism, I feel that it highlights the bands versatility and professionalism to ‘play for the song’ not to show off in every single bar, which, unfortunately, is seemingly the ethos of many a progressive band. ‘4 AM’ sets the mood for the entire album with a refreshing, up-tempo, whirlwind of a song. Following from this no-nonsense ride is the second track, one entitled ‘I Got No Remorse’. This track has a similar feel to that of the first, a hefty rhythm section that fuses the chaotic with the precise and cutting guitar lines that jangling and slice through the beef of the piece, whilst the vocals, youthfully undulate across the top of the song.
Third in the listings for Antemasque is a fantastically title track called ‘Ride Like The Devil’s Son’ as you would expect, this song begins with an eerie, ‘picked’ melodic line, which sets the listener on edge, waiting for a ghostly ballad. However, in true Bixler-Zavala/Rodriguez-Lopez style they throw you a sonic curveball. Instead of a more blues based tune, one in the vain of an old Son House guise, ‘Ride Like The Devil’s Son’ explodes into an Indie-laced high-hat groove and chordal mushroom cloud, in keeping with the previous two songs, thus far on the album. Up next, is the equally unrepentant, 16th feel groove, one that the likes of Stephen Morris (Drummer Post-Punk Godfathers, Joy Division) would be proud of. This track is titled ‘In The Lurch’. The defining moment of ‘In The Lurch’, for me, culminates in the tastiest of breakdowns at 1:46. This is what makes Antemasque a unique beast. This fierce unison groove opens this song out, adding another, darker, colour to this palate. This allows the vocal to enter a far more foreboding, aggressive tone, even though Bixler-Zavala stays within the same vocal stream. I absolutely adore this Zeppelin, Rage Against The Machine-vibe that seems to permeate this section, really bringing this audio tale to life.
The next track that sprang out from my speakers was ’50,000 Kilowatts’. I hate to keep referring to these artists’ former outfits but this is very unusual listening for a hardcore Mars Volta/At The Drive-In fan. Although these songs share more with the latter of the two groups, the vocals particularly have a distinctly more lighthearted delivery than that of say ‘One Armed Scissor’ or ‘Rolodex Propaganda’ and, I feel, it shows the more worldly and slightly less angsty side of this band. I would definitely advise people to listen to this album with an open mind and an open heart. From the tail end of this piece we find ourselves in the horrific scenario of a woman ‘Tied to the tracks in the middle of the road’ in ‘Momento Mori’. The brilliance that comes with this track is how contrasting the overall tone and atmosphere of the song is with the lyrical content. Bixler-Zavala states that he will be ‘Hiding in the dreams of your last will and testament’ and ‘You can’t drink the yellow out of your spine’ against an almost joyful backdrop created by the rest of the instrumentation.
The next piece of gold from the big-haired twosome, comes in the form of an acoustic based track called ‘Drown All Your Witches’. This song seems to take us on a trip through folklore of New Orleans (A subject that I have an incredible passion for) and through the darker realms of Antemasque. This track is different to the previous ones on the album and intrigues the ear once again with its use of string sections and acoustic layering.
However, one of my favourite tracks on this playlist is simply entitled ‘Providence’. ‘Providence’ is beautifully haunting, dark and could easily been the soundtrack to many a childhood nightmare. I love everything about this piece, it has a great sense of urgency coupled with a swirling, heady supernatural current zapped through it. I believe this is where Bixler-Zavala really lets’ his vocal work shine on this record. He uses a wider range of inspiring intricate ideas (such as snake-like, slithering stutters) and powerful tone (specifically on the choruses of ‘You’ve been burnt, You’ve been burning, At the stake’ and ‘Because Providence, she don’t live anymore’) that help to make this a definite gem in this album.
‘People Forget’ (the ninth giving from the Antemasque fiends) is also a favourite of mine. This has an MC5 brutality to it, which creates a great ebb and flow to this album. It has mind-burrowing hooky chorus and hard-hitting delivery which fits perfectly with the rest of the arrangements which have come before, taking us on a tour of their respective careers from the early days of At The Drive-In to the complexity, morbidity and maturity of The Mars Volta, and everywhere in between.
The final track on this smorgasbord of ear-treats is presented to us with a monumental song name ‘Rome Armed To The Teeth’. This track takes what each of the songs before it has set up for us and pools them together in a 3:43 burst. It takes the hook-heavy chorus style of the previous two tracks, the post-punk, thrashed, chords of the first half of the album and a haunting breakdown with flavours similar to that of ‘Providence’ to provide us with the climax which will round off the record with a great sense of completion, as if we have come full-circle in our journey with them.
To me, a phenomenal band with interesting concepts and a fearless approach to writing. Where many bands would coast on exactly the same formula as previous works, Antemasque do not shy from taking the leap.
