Antimonumentum

Antimonumentum's a rather interesting release. On their promo sheet, they're citing Swans, Neurosis and Godflesh as influences, and some more obscure music I'm not sure how would a band from Hungary could hear of. Well, don't keep your hopes up for obscure & heavy monolithic industrial/sludge: this music is kinda far-out from that.

First of all, the production is shit. Deal with it. If you put this after some good heavy doom release eg. it'll just amplify it's weak mix of guitars and vintage drum machines. If production qualities doesn't bothers you at all it can be a quite rewarding release though. Their approach to obscure metal music resembles Stereolab's approach to esoteric rock'n'roll & electronic pioneers: they take a Malformed Earthborn drum passage and mix it up with a late days Cable Regime riff. I certainly could find Carcass drum parts - of course sounding nowhere as good as the original, on account of the drum machines - in track 4 and 5ive's Continuum Research Project drones in track 8. They also humour with Ennio Morricone, placing a spagetthi western solo right after a fast'n'heavy Butthole Surfersish part, on track 2.
So does this record have to offer anything more than a mashup of plagarizations of the duo's favourite bands - in shitty production may I add? Yes.

The rhythm section often turns out rather 'danceable' than 'moshable' which is kinda weird for a metal album for starters. The guitars have some (few) uniquely dissonant chords, yet I've got to hear on any other rock/metal records. Mostly they're power chords and the bass is playing the same thing, but there are several of their original (read: non-plagiarizing) moments that are certainly highlightable. The vocals, well, first time they were dull and weak. In retrospective of some more plays and their later releases, I find them rather cute from a 19 year old kid, which allows me to come to my conclusion: this album is nothing more, than some honest and easy teenager 'art rock' experiment done within the possibilities of industrial metal. I guess you've got to be really open-minded to enjoy something like this. At times the crappy drum sounds and whispery vocals might certainly annoy the fuck out of us, but the creativity which permeates through this one hour listening experience certainly saves the record for good.

“Industrial Stoner Metal”. Just let those words sink in. Say them out loud, consider what it would mean. Imagine what it would sound like. The loose and swinging riffs and grooves of stoner metal, the nihilistic, unflinching sounds of industrial. Is it possible to put together a more discordant pair? One would hope not.

OK, by “industrial” I’m talking Rammstein, not the proper stuff like Throbbing Gristle or Nurse with Wound. Shame because infusing some dope throne-era Electric Wizard with some of those latter bands could be alright, but as it stands though this is objectively awful and an easy contender for worst metal album of the year.

This is pretty much exactly what you think it’s gonna be. There’s tight drum machine rhythms, there’s loose and fuzzy guitars. The singer is a less guttural version of the Rammstein fellow. However, while Rammstein and a lot of stoner metal is extremely catchy, this is completely forgettable on every level. Well the irritation will last for a while; you just won’t remember any of the melodies. The stoner guitars are completely neutered and laughable, playing some impressively stupid two/three chord riffs with no real aggression, the dual shouted vocals and spoken word sections awful, the drum programming and tones horrible.

Examples of the above? Well, try every single song. There’s the useless guitars hovering around like a turd that‘s lighter then air, the drum programming in every single song is a failure, the vocals consistently average. Every song is as bad as the other, and they’re all really, really awful. Really, what else is there to say here? The good elements of industrial have been removed to bring us something that resembles a really awful mid 90’s “cyberpunk” game, the whole fuzzy stoner guitar tone a parody of itself. Terrible on every level.

To conclude then: HORRIBLE HORRIBLE DO NOT BUY OH MAN THIS IS SHIT.