Amnesia by Antirope
Amnesia, the debut alternative metal album by Antirope runs deep and goes hard, tapping into our emotions with beautiful cruelty and authentic heaviness. It is an honest record, a burst of anti-trend, representing the polarity of life in all its aesthetic doom and poetic subtlety. The album is not so much a statement; however, as it is an unfolding narrative, full of passion, peril, climax, and epiphany. It catalogues a journey. It is the story of us.
Since the instrumentals are played live, there is an immediacy to this record that vibrates the ribcage. Not since early Led Zeppelin have listeners heard the glorious echo and ring of the cymbals like mysterious sirens coupled with the crunch and pound of the rhythm guitars and the bass, as if Antirope were playing ten feet away from us, shaking the windows, rattling the floorboards, and bumping pictures off the mantle. As for the vocal performance, we have a heartfelt tenor sound produced so close-in that it binds with our breath and the beat of our blood. Spoiler alert. The first single “Beautiful Liar” has heavy rhythm guitars that develop in layers, with the determination of soldiers on the march and the precision of a blade. A haunted baritone sings of bedeviled love and emotional doom, all as an intricate foreshadowing to guitars wailing with abandon, screaming with rage. Single number two entitled “Dead Sun” is a volcanic slow burn which builds to a climax that erupts in raw power. The uplifting, heartfelt vocal is a two-way mirror of triumph and tragedy, and from the lava and glorious muck of the guitars, Antirope builds us a spectacular monument. The third highlight track “Ropes” is a funky, syncopated masterpiece that unfolds mixed meter time signatures, heavy on the toms and the rims, alongside an impassioned vocal aimed right at your chest. At the three-minute mark, there is a breakdown that resets your spine, followed by a lead guitar solo that tears at your heart and wakens your soul.
This album was produced by Patrick Fleischer (Lacrimas Profundere, Darkseed) and the cover art was painted by Francesca Spille. It is an experience, coming full throttle, no detours, aimed straight for the ear, the head, the heart, and the center. Amnesia by Antirope was released by Eclipse Records on June 30, 2023.
Press Quotes & Highlights
- (9/10) “an extremely satisfying listen, with so much replay value, and it’s hard to say goodbye for now… It’s been a long time coming and Antirope have made sure it counts!” – GBHBL
- (8/10) “Anyone looking to get their paws on possibly the next big thing should investigate, because it won’t be long before Antirope will be the darlings of rock and metal media” – Powerplay Magazine
- (75/100) “Amnesia is an astonishing album, which gets us used to a certain dissonant melancholy borrowed from Doom, before breaking it down to place a wide range of influences under an Alternative base that Antirope assumes and handles like no one else” – Acta Infernalis
- (9/10) “A totally satisfying record from start to finish, and I just wanted more” – Hangman Entertainment
- (4/5) “An album that you clutch to your bitter, twisted heart as you shelter in your darkened room, peering scornfully through the curtains at the unbearably bright outside world full of people going about their day-to-day business, selfishly oblivious to your pain and frustration” – Metal Epidemic
- (8/10) “Amnesia, the masterpiece by ANTIROPE, is a strong piece of melodies that get under your skin and convinces after a short listen from beginning to end” – Metal Division
- (7/10) “a very well produced album with exciting song ideas without prejudice” – Metal DE
- (7/10) “I appreciated the diversity in sound they showed on the album” – Metal Temple
- more coming soon…
