ALBUM REVIEW: Antimatter Rites – Absentation

Carrying the mantle of the first death metal band to release an album in Syria, ABSENTATION have had a busy few years. Amid terrorist invasion, humanitarian crisis and civil war, Salah Alghalayeeni has kept a steady output, releasing an album a year since 2018, bringing the chaos and brutality currently engulfing his homeland to a musical landscape. Antimatter Rites marks the third ABSENTATION record in as many years – but how does it stack up to the already-strong back-catalogue? 

There is a raw, filthy charm to Antimatter Rites that is impossible to overlook. ABSENTATION‘s brand of brutal, technical death metal typically comes in a polished, oft sterile package from similar bands – however, the Syrian outfit have a far rawer sound. Sure, some of the subtleties get lost in the murk, but the harsh production gives Antimatter Rites a distinctly old-school sound that is dripping with character. Quantum Nothingness shows this right off the bat, bringing a buzzsaw grind into the mix of technicality and high-octane riffing. Echoes of Distant Astronomical Giants is as brutal as they come, and again, the gritty production brings a level of vitriol that is often attempted but rarely achieved.

Where the opening double-tap of Quantum Nothingness and Echoes of Distant Astronomical Giants brought furious brutality, Cosmological Self Initiation brings a groovier, more hook-heavy change of pace to the table. This continues with Dark Matter Requiem, with Alghalayeeni bringing some serious Demigod-era BEHEMOTH vibes into play, before The Velocity of Relativity Talisman crashes in which some of the most over-the-top drum work released this year. Antimatter Rites‘ title track brings one of the highlights of the record, opening with a sinister, blackened groove before unleashing a torrent of sonic violence, while penultimate track, the instrumental A Cosmological Curse of a Dying Verse offers Alghalayeeni the chance to showcase some more virtuoso, progressive musicianship. Gravitational Singularity rounds off Antimatter Rites on another high, bringing technical thrashy riff work into play early on, before driving into the tried and tested grinding brutality to bring the record to a close.

The songwriting on offer throughout Antimatter Rites is a stunning array of brutality and technicality that embodies pure chaos at every turn. However, one of its key strengths lies in the production – though perhaps a technical limitation rather than a direct choice, ABSENTATION have forgone the now cliche, over-polished and slick production that technical death metal has become known for, favouring a far rawer, old-school sound. Coupling that incredible songwriting with a unique production for the genre and a flawless execution leaves ABSENTATION‘s newest offering as one of 2020’s most underground favourites.

Rating: 8/10

Antimatter Rites is out now via self release. 

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