Produced by DW Norton
Released: 2006
Antonomasia is an adjective that means an alternative name for something; Antonamasia is a band from Sydney that certainly has a different way of looking at things, blending two currently popular metal genres pretty damn effectively. The overall result is solid, but shows a group still yet to break free from its obvious influences. The label blurb that came with this ran a bit of a list of said influences, but tellingly the most apparent of these aren't mentioned. Almost from the very beginning of "Gone", once Cassie Lee Dallas' vocals find themselves after what seems to be a slight waver, Antonamasia sounds like a cross between Evanescence and Shadows Fall. That sounds completely bizarre, but it's true. Now, I'm not a guy who bandies around comparisons with other groups for lack of something to write, and I'm sure Antonamasia will hate the association, but in their case there's just no escaping it. It's not that they're merely soundalikes (although they do sound very much like those bands), it's just that the overall vibe of this CD gives that impression.
To take nothing away from them, however, 'Keeping Nothing' is a very impressive debut. Antonamasia is a talented bunch who have put together some catchy songs. I don't know which of the guys in the band does the metalcore vocals (it doesn't say anywhere), but they provide an vibrant contrast to Dallas' melodic leads. That a predominately metalcore band has chosen to use a melodic lead vocalist is interesting in itself; that they've been able to blend such apparently disparate styles so well on 'Keeping Nothing' shows a whale of promise. The production team of DW Norton and Darren Jenkins have pulled a killer sound and the artwork and packaging is world class.
The shadow of their influences may still loom over Antonamasia's music, yet they've executed it with an original twist that while not being to everyone's liking will certainly find them a lot of fans.
- Gone
- Keeping Nothing
- Still I Bleed
- Asphyxiation Theory
- Driven Away
- Shatter
Rating: 63%
No comments:
Post a Comment