Antithesis - Antithesis (1999)
Once again we have a great release that just oozes progressive metallic charm. Power-progressive-thrash is what you get from the Cleveland, Ohio based Antithesis. This is by far one of the most superior releases from this genre of music, ranking right up there with Tourniquet's new release. Much like the aforementioned Tourniquet this band carries with them many years of music theory and serious talent. The sound is very "power metal" yet also very "progressive" with technical yet easily accessible guitar riffs. Lightning fast melodic leads and super-catchy hooks drag the listener into a dark atmosphere of truth. "Sword of Mouth" reminds me of a mix between Testament, King Diamond, and New Eden (as a matter of fact the whole cd has song structures similar to New Eden, only way better). "Plastic" has a vocal delivery that reminds me a lot of John Bush from Anthrax. The vocals throughout stay pretty much in a mid-range area without any of those high-pitched shrieks that are usually customary in power metal. Lyrically this band comes at you in a very realistic way dealing with everyday life issues. They are not affraid to tackle controversial subject matter such as sexual lust (ie: "The Web") and hypocritical teachers (ie: "Plastic"). From what it says in their bio these guys are going to go even more of a progressive route next time around and that is a welcomed idea to this prog-metal fan. -- Review by Norm