Describing Antaeus’s set, to be honest, is a difficult task, to say the least. Not because the band was anything less than stunning onstage - their performance was a maelstrom of violence, representing the filthy side of raw black metal to the fullest extent - but that it’s difficult to do Antaeus justice with a simple review. No matter how articulate a soul can be, it seems like mere words cannot truly summarize the glory that was experienced on December 10th, 2011 at around the hour of 1:00AM once the French demons stormed the stage to absolutely decimate what remained of the audience.
Vocalist MkM has served as a chaotic representation of black metal’s darkest depths throughout Antaeus’s duration (as well as in his time in Aosoth, among others), and anyone who bore witness to Rites of Darkness easily saw why. Convulsing with the furor of a man possessed by utmost evil and hatred for anything and everything, MkM’s inhuman shrieks and devilish stage presence perfectly served the (anti-)music well, shaking with hellish fury, lashing out at unseen specters hell-bent on torturing his psyche. His band only enhanced the unbridled madness, with longtime guitarist Set and Aosoth’s BST delivering a wall of sound that was enough to induce panic and terror in all but those most thoroughly initiated into black metal. The rhythm section, consisting of bassist IRNVI (also of Aosoth) and drummer Blastum were idyllic in their playing, providing a demented backdrop to the razor-sharp guitars that laid down riffs like a whirlwind of jagged blades. In an age of pretenders and hipsters with their faux crowns of “post-black metal” and positive agendas, it is bands like Antaeus that bear the sordid reminder that this music is not the realm of anything less than utter mayhem, chaos, and madness, and that those looking to co-opt its ideologies for their own “life metal” purposes had best look elsewhere.
The setlist was a devotee’s dream, starting with the two-pronged attack of “Devotee” and “De Principii Evangelikum” setting the tumultuous tone for the remainder of the show, and Antaeus’s ten song set contained enough material to satisfy die-hards as well as casual fans of the band, although it’s safe to say that anyone who watched the set wouldn’t remain as a “casual fan” for much longer! The madness of “Inner War” and “Words as Weapons” clashed with “Blood War III” and “Blood Libels”, the latter of which ended the night in a way that, as previously discussed, is difficult to capture in the mere King’s tongue, although to say that it was enough to elevate one into another plane of existence would not be an exaggeration. Material from each of the band’s albums well represented, and the sound quality in the venue was top-notch, which allowed Antaeus’s set to be presented much more effectively. There was a foreboding sense of terror and nihility that existed throughout the ritual, creating a vibe of darkness that was better embraced than flown from.
It was quite simply the greatest black metal performance I have ever witnessed. This statement is delivered without a hint of irony, without any bloated exaggeration with the intent to impress anyone, without a lie present. Absolutely nothing could compare to the ascension experienced when the final notes of “Blood Libels” rang through the venue, although one could compare the overall sensation to that of a deathly trance induced by sheer audio violence. In case anyone needed any confirmation that Rites of Darkness was still going to be one of the best events that this state has ever seen in spite of all the cancellations leading up to it, all they would need to look to was the majesty of Antaeus’s set, which alone made everything worth it. Although Day Two of Rites of Darkness was not without its flaws or troubles, it’s safe to say that it could not have ended in a better manner than the way it did.
Through Antaeus, it was understood: Nihil Khaos : CYFAWS.
For more info: The final Rites of Darkness review will be posted soon.
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