ALBUM REVIEW: Antipode – Impavida
Germany’s IMPAVIDA have, it would seem, been dormant since the release of their debut album, Eerie Sceneries, all the way back in 2008. Known for their bestial yet atmospheric take on black metal, and the dissolution of the band seemed like the end of a promising underground act. However, after ten years of silence, IMPAVIDA have made their return to the scene, with founding member E. being joined by new vocalist He, Who Walketh the Void, quickly writing and recording their first record in over a decade. That record, Antipode, has finally seen the light of day, and proves to be a solid slab of black metal that lays down the foundations on which the band can build a wealth of great music in the future.
IMPAVIDA opens Antipode ambitiously with Demons’ Eerie Flutes Accompany The Decay Of Corpse Defiled; a lengthy, bleak offering that sees some raw and unpolished musicianship being contrasted with a palpable, haunting atmosphere. The song ebbs and flows between fast and furious black metal and softer, grandiose sections which help to keep this near sixteen-minute-long song interesting. It’s a sprawling, yet impressive track that doesn’t outstay its welcome until it’s in its final few minutes, proving to be a solid way to kick off Antipode. Corpse Devourer, by contrast, is a short, sharp shock of discordant guitars, primal percussion and minimalist, tortured vocals, all wrapped up in a shroud of hazy ambience, which acts as a more acerbic and vicious piece of music, separating the two longer tracks and acting almost as a palette cleanser.
The First Flame Initiates The Cleansing Of Putrid Terrestrial Spirits, another epic-length offering, begins with some dark and off kilter melodies, slowly building tension until the main part of the track finally bursts into life, with blistering guitars, cacophonous drums and visceral, feral vocals coming into play and creating a vast yet focused sound, with a few hints at dissonance which inject some variety into the sound. Sliding into a more mid-tempo passage, the music takes on a more engrossing aspect, drawing the listener in with soaring, hazy guitars, and giving the listener a break from the unflinching intensity of what came before, before driving headlong back into the speed and aggression once more. IMPAVIDA make far better use of cleaner tones than on the first song, and it’s clear that they are expanding the scope of their sound quite a bit more. Although, once again, this feels as though it goes on about two or three minutes longer than it needs to, it does a solid job of crafting a good climactic moment for the record. Towards The Pyre, the albums final track, is another brief song that manages to concisely do a great job of capturing the bands more ambient side, with spartan guitar hooks making for a sepulchral and creepy sound, again using cleaner guitar tones, booming drum beats and some eerie spoken word parts to build anticipation. It’s a decent way to end an album that, for the most part, felt drawn out.
Antipode is by no means a terrible album. The two shorter tracks work very well, and both lengthier compositions have some great moments thrown into the mix. However, IMPAVIDA‘s reliance on long and repetitive hooks proves to be the record’s main downfall. The band should have either shaved about two or three minutes off of each of the two lengthier tracks to prevent them getting a little dull, or focused on making shorter and punchier songs instead. Other than this, there’s a varied approach to the song-writing, and it’s got a raw and murky production that strikes a very good balance between intensity and atmosphere; something that not many bands are able to pull off well.
Rating: 7/10
Antipode is set for release July 12th via Ván Records.
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