Under Wing of Asael

In this day and age, finding new (read: post-Y2K) extreme metal bands that both nod to the old school, yet have a genuinely disturbing feel that is entirely their own, is difficult. Out from the depths of Edmonton, Canada, a city known for spawning some of the best underground black and death metal projects, comes the duo known as Antediluvian. Out of all the bands in that region of the country, this one is one of the most foul and bizarre.

This is Antediluvian’s fourth release, consisting of four tracks and clocking in at a little over 26 minutes. The first song, Solarburst, starts off with a short atmospheric intro, which dissolves into harsh, slimy riffing a few moments later. The guitars are a mix in between black metal atmospherics and death metal barbarism, with the odd atonal solo added in. Ultimately, however, the best way to describe them is “disturbing”; Haasiophis does things with his instrument that I’ve never heard before. The drums are likewise strange; off-time beats, slow, crawling passages, savage nonstop blasting are all the norm. Surprisingly, the strangeness of the two instruments complements rather than holds each other up. The vocals are the traditional death metal grunt, but far deeper than what one is used to hearing. The production style is similar to your average bestial black metal demo which works very well in this case, adding to the overall cryptic and dire sound.

While I usually review demos with a certain amount of leniency compared to full-lengths, it wouldn’t have been fair to do so here due to the quality of the material. While not comparable musically, I haven’t experienced cold sweat like this since my first listen of De Misteriis. I have no serious complaints about this release, and I eagerly await any future material. Well worth the piddling amount it would cost you to buy (in case you wish to do so, here is the contact address: [email protected]).


-Originally written for Fueled Magazine