ANTIQUUS
"Eleutheria"
(Cruz Del Sur; 2006)
Reviewed by Mike SOS
Canadian power metal comes courtesy of the quintet Antiquus, whose eight-track "Eleutheria" goes off on a conceptual tangent while bringing out the eloquence of traditional heavy metal.
You'll find a slew of extended intros, Styx-esque vocals, and exaggerated dramatics pouring out of every pore on tracks like "KT Event" and "Redemption." Yet, underneath the flash and sizzle of cuts like "Meta Icognita," lies a major influence of classic metal like Priest and Queensryche seeping through your speakers while acoustic interludes and spoken word dialogue round out the full metal assault.
Good stuff if you still wear spiked wristbands and denim jackets.?
For more information, check out http://www.antiquus.net.
"Ramayana"
(Self-produced; 2005)
Reviewed by Snidermann
Antiquus is a metal band on the edge; not the cutting edge, but the edge of being either really good or really bad.
I like what the band is trying to do on "Ramayana." The music is hard, heavy and done as tightly and as proficiently as any outfit today. The vocals, on the other hand, take more than awhile to get used to and -- after three spins -- I can say I do not grasp what is intended.
This project is not what I could call good or bad but somewhere firmly in the middle. There are things on "Ramayana" I really liked but there are also things I really don't like. The vocals are too whiny too often and hard to get into. It was a hot and cold situation listening to this CD. Sometimes, I was rocking out and thinking this is cool while at others I was shaking my head, thinking, well, this stinks.
A valiant effort, but not something I can recommend to everyone.
For more information, check out http://www.antiquus.net.
Rating Guide:
A classic. This record will kick your ass.
Killer. Not a classic but it will rock your world.
So-so. You've heard better.
Pretty bad. Might make a nice coaster.
Self explanatory. Just the sight of the cover makes you wanna hurl.
Copyright ? 2007 by R. Scott Bolton. All rights
reserved.
Revised: 01 Jul 2024 12:10:24 -0400.
