The Divine Punishment

As a (regretfully) new listener and now a fan of Antediluvian, going blind into their new release without prior knowledge of their previous work, I can say with utmost honesty that it was not an easy one to get into, relistening the previous works after "The Divine Punishment" I now understand clearly that back then, I was simply not prepared for what Antediluvian had to offer with their music.

The ominous group from Canada has been on a fairly long hiatus since their previous full length "λόγος", there have been occasional splits and compilations in the span of 8 years but not a full length in sight, the magnitude of the comeback however makes up for all those years as "The Divine Punishment" is the band's most complex and finished work to date. In terms of the overall sound, mix and style, Antediluvian seems to be perfectly content with where they last left off, and the band's trademark "primal", or "cavernous" if you will, sound is still immediately recognizable, the main change however is not the sound, but the compositions and structure of the album and the tracks. Both the debut album and its successor share a lot in common, the main thing however is that they were relatively short and densely packed with intensity, they both almost felt more like track compilations, because a lot of individual tracks lacked distinct features and felt more or less repetitive overall, that's where the band's new offering shines the most, as it addresses most if not all of the weaker elements of its predecessors, improves on them and expands even further beyond.

"The Divine Punishment" as a whole feels a lot more like a conceptual, finished product, there are more intros, interludes, outros and soundscapes as well as some narration that are all much needed to create a more dark and ominous atmosphere that the band clearly is going for, and they also act as a breather in this over an hour long slab of dizzying, wild and unfiltered death metal insanity. Speaking of which, the music of Antediluvian is... difficult to describe. It's both one of the most unique yet inaccessible death metal I've ever heard. From basically the very first recordings, the band goes out of their way to create a truly uncompromised, primal and obscure sound, and that is not an exaggeration. But what makes the music of Antediluvian what it is? The low, inhuman vocals spewing perversions with each growl, grunt, shout and scream uttered are unique on their own and definitely fit the overall esthetic of the band splendidly, but they're not something you've never heard before, or the incredibly angular, unpredictive, dizzying and at time extremely out of place riffing is also not as extraordinary with bands such as Portal or Ævangelist or the more recent Qrixkuor and many other dissonant acts that are also known for it already; it's the drums that play the main role in the madness that Antediluvian unfolds upon the listener brave enough to delve into sonic terror annihilating all senses (as well as the production, but more on that later). You won't hear your typical blast beat or double pedal action here. The uneven and primal drum work on all Antediluvian is relentless, but just like everything else on "The Divine Punishment", it in another element that has been mastered on this release. There is practically not a moment of relief from the technically-primitive frenzied blasting, despite the uniquely obscure and primal-esque esthetic, the stamina and technical abilities showcased by Mars Sekhmet are nothing short of impressive, not only they present one of the most unconventional and innovative usage of drums, they're able to incorporate it into their twisted extraordinary death metal extravaganza and make it into a recognizable style.

On top of all above, "The Divine Punishment" is not afraid to experiment and reach further into the deviant and sickening vortex that Antediluvian created for themselves, as their new work also adds a wide arrange of more or less questionable instruments and effects that only add more layers of discomfort and headache-inducing soundscapes that pulls you in no matter how hard you're trying to escape. Be it a violin section on "Guardians of the Liminal" drenched in a most peculiar atmosphere, with the drums pounding relentlessly filling the low end and psychedelic high pitched effects floating in the high end, or the outro of "Temple of Prostitute" where the some of the most out of place and unusual riffs I've ever heard are accompanied by the crying of women? Babies? Or is it even crying? The whole section is so disturbingly abstract and dreadful that it's hard to even focus to distinquish all the layers of sonic transmission penetrating your cranium like a rusty nail getting deeper with each pound of the drums before the song seemingly ends and transitions into the next song, "Circumcision Covenant" which in itself is equally disorienting and frightening giving no time to rest or think about what just happened two mimutes ago.

I could keep pointing out various examples as there is a abundance of interesting, unique or particularly unsettling sections or tracks that stand out, like "White Throne" which is entirely ambient-narrative, almost 7 minutes wonder into Antideluvian's depraved and wicked world. All of this is exactly what Antediluvian's previous works lacked, without losing a tad of identity of their distinctive atypical style, that is just as uncompromised and honest as the rest of their work despite the huge time gap between releases.

About the production, I'm not a music engineer and don't know any proper terms related to mastering and mixing, but it doesn't take a professional to realize that the production presented on "The Divine Punishment" is unusual at the very least. First of all, it is noticeably "clean" given the kind of music we're talking about; despite the ruthless intensity and dizzying mood of it, no instrument or sound is being drowned by another (unless intentionally). Whether it's the aformentioned low, beastly, cavernous growls, gnarls and other inhuman noises, particularly punchy organic drums which gives them the primal feeling they emanate all the way through, or equally low and howling guitars that are still very well audible even though they may be slightly quieter in the mix than some other instruments. All of this put in contrast with occasional chaotic solos or the violin and psychedelic digital/keyboard effects make the whole experience truly surreal and unpredictive; the entire journey feels like entering a forbidden area, hidden thousand feet in a concrete vault deep inside an expanse of endless labyrinths, hiding ancient texts that contain all knowledge and secrets of ancient civilizations. It's not a particularly pleasant or joyful experience, as the concrete vault and labyrinths may expel a foul stench as they're smeared in excrement and filth, but it is an experience nonetheless, an experience like no other certainly, an experience worth a try for anyone who enjoys indulging in various acts of dark and esoteric arts, as Antediluvian is one of a kind and despite the various comparisons to some old-school death metal acts or some of the better known underground dissonant acts, Antediluvian is undeniably in a league of their own, brewing and drinking their own concoction of lethally addictive and nightmarishly bizarre metal. Enjoy with caution.