ANTAGONYZE – Interpretations Of The Unknown Wilderness

RELEASE YEAR: 2024

BAND URL: https://antagonyzemetal.bandcamp.com/

Old school death metal is going through a Renaissance. There are countless labels signing bands influenced by old Death, Obituary and the first two Kreator records. Additionally, some labels specifically promote just old school death metal, which also doesn’t hurt. However, there are few bands who can pull off old school death while forging their own style and Chilean deathrashers Antagonyze are certainly among them. I may not have familiarized myself with Echoes From Soul²⁰²⁰ (Independent but re-released on cassette via Infernal South Productions) but their sophomore record, Interpretations Of The Unknown Wilderness²⁰²⁴ released on April 19th via Chaos Records, is a very good, quite an inventive slab of old school extremity with enough hooks and melody to warrant repeated exposure (4 times for the purpose of this review.)

The quintet, Ignacio “Spellbound” Riveros (guitars, backing vocals), Francisco “Dawndeath” Álvarez (guitars), Mateo Gutiérrez (bass), Álvaro Mora (2022-vocals) and Nicolás “Taedium Vitae” Cavada (2022-drums) teases a bit with a classic genre opening instrumental intro with sounds of nature, keyboard effects, and eerie and creepy harpsichord notes, but then unleash the fury of old Death, Obituary and Kreator with transitionary Morbid Angelic melodiscism in the first song proper, “Inferior Entity” and keep that very good level of songwriting for the subsequent “Inside Journey” and “Deadly Sorrow”, adding some Slayer here and Immolation there, to wrap up the first half of the album with an acoustic interlude full of sounds of footsteps in the forest, wolves, birds, unidentified beasts and some such.

The 2nd half is slightly inferior to the 1st for the opening “Paradoxical Panic Essence” recalling Nailbomb (the start) and Cradle Of Filth, my least favorite track, but the following instrumental “Echoes From The Soul”, almost certainly inspired by if not a tribute to, Death’s “Voice Of The Soul”, engages with similar mastery of the instrument giving way to “Hidden Wisdom”, a wonderful Skydancer¹⁹⁹³/The Gallery¹⁹⁹⁵ Dark Tranquillity meets Enforsaken for the very good songwriting, while its start strongly recalls Becoming Archetype’s “Beyond Adaptation”. Antagonyze wear the Death influence on their sleeves in a very Spiritual Healing¹⁹⁹⁰ way on “Shiny Dark Star” and then end the proceedings with their most progressive piece, “Segregado” again, early Dark Tranquillity but here with the clear Lost Paradise¹⁹⁹⁰/Gothic¹⁹⁹¹ Paradise Lost flavor, wrapping up the 10 track affair in less than 42 minutes, the length, again, a nod to the old school death and albums such as Obituary’s Cause Of Death¹⁹⁹⁰ or Morbid Angel’s Covenant¹⁹⁹³.

Interpretations Of The Unknown Wilderness²⁰²⁴ is a very good, well thought out record with just enough progression to make things interesting without necessitating additional tag under the review. I would have liked more hooks and melody, especially on “Paradoxical Panic Essence”, but what we have here merely on the 2nd full length in 5 years, is already fairly original and impressive enough to expect greater things to come.