Antagonist (10/16/12)

In the rapidly changing and evolving world of heavy music, bands come and go faster than you can get a value meal at a fast food restaurant. Finding bands who are still slugging it out after a decade is a rare occurrence. What’s even more uncommon is finding a band who have recorded their most intense and career defining album 12 years into their career. But, that is exactly the case with Southern California’s ANTAGONIST, and their new album, “World In Decline.”

The band was formed by, then teenage, singer/guitarist Carlos Garcia and drummer Lond Garcia in 1998 and released two albums and three EPs before signing with Prosthetic Records and releasing 2008’s “Exist.” After a few lineup changes through the decade, the current lineup features the (unrelated) Garcias, along with guitarist Roland Leonard and bassist Nick Reyes. The band hit Buzz Bomb Studios in Orange, CA earlier this year with producer Paul Miner (Thrice, Throwdown, Terror) who recorded, mixed and mastered the effort. The band’s sound has gotten tighter, more technical, and angrier on “World In Decline,” while summoning the thrash of early Metallica, the groove of Pantera and the technical death metal of At The Gates, while still holding on to the strings of melody and the guitars have never been more searing and ferocious.

 

Probably the biggest difference this time around with World In Decline is the clean singing (or lack thereof). This is a very pissed off album lyrically and thematically, so they thought it would only be proper to NOT include any clean singing this time around. I know some of you won’t like that, but it’s something the group felt would be necessary to hopefully get their point across.
 

The album Exist had a hopeful message of working together as humans towards a better future. World In Decline is about the realization that things will always be screwed up, people will always be selfish, and this world is going to end at any minute, and we have nobody to blame but ourselves. People grow older and figure out that life doesn’t get any easier and that our own selfishness, carelessness, and ignorance are at the core of our demise.

Antagonist is in the midst of plotting a US tour this year and will be on the road continuously throughout the foreseeable future. It will certainly not be a shock to their system as they’ve put countless miles on their van through continuous touring over their existence with the likes of Animosity, Light This City, The Faceless, Arsonists Get All The Girls, and more.