Antigama – Whiteout (Review)

This is the eighth album from Polish grindcore band Antigama.

I always enjoy hearing Antigama, as no matter what they’re doing you know you’re going to at least get a good base level of quality (see Meteor, The Insolent, and Depressant as good examples).

Antigama play a sophisticated form of grindcore with progressive and avant-garde influences, all without losing the essential vicious aggression of the style, (although I should note that these latter influences are toned down on this latest release). On Whiteout Antigama unleash 28 minutes of chaos and destruction. It’s not for the frail of constitution.

If you’re new to the band then think of a mix of Napalm Death and Nasum as a rough starting point. Elements of punk, hardcore, and death metal combine into grinding brutality that’s as lethal as it is effective. Add to this some progressive, avant-garde, and experimental aspects, and you have a band that have successfully carved their own path through the extreme metal landscape for more than two decades.

Whiteout does what Antigama do best, which is provide energetic grindcore mayhem for the listener to get tangled up in. It’s less experimental than some of the band’s work, and less progressive in its breadth and scope, but nonetheless still exhibits a feral sophistication and complex brutality that many lesser bands lack.

Whiteout is an album that’s packed with Antigama’s furious deathgrind. The vast majority of the material goes for the kill with no hesitation, only occasionally reining itself in to create dark atmosphere or utilise a more experimental palette. Of the latter parts, although reduced in frequency these still make a mark, whether this is via an atypical mathcore diversion, a non-standard vocal style, or an unexpected saxophone workout, as just a few examples.

This is another top quality album from a very well-respected act. Antigama show no sign of fatigue, and Whiteout boasts some of the band’s most aggressive and relentlessly merciless material.

Very highly recommended.