Antaeus have always been an oddity within black metal. On one hand they have been derided for their perceived lack of originality but on the other hand, they are praised for their ability to convey destructive violence without ever degenerating into background noise through sheer monotony. Beneath the grindcore influenced aesthetics, the nihilistic expression and the constant streams of tremolo picked power chords, there is a distinct ideology towards composition that takes Darkthrone’s minimalism and takes it to its logical extreme. Where Darkthrone would build a riff around two notes to build tension before resolving the riff in unexpected ways, Antaeus discard that resolution and focus on the conflict between those two notes not as a means to an end but as the entire purpose of the riff itself.
“Inner War” from Cut Your Flesh and Worship Satan which was taken from Rekordin 2000 – 1 and given a clearer mastering, shows the band’s vision in its purest form. Unlike the other songs on the release, there is an easily identifiable chorus that is memorable without ever betraying the ideals of the band. This chorus also serves as a macrocosm for the band’s approach to composition and demonstrates this idea of clashing notes in its most direct form.
This riff is repeated four times throughout the chorus and each repetition consists of two bars which is extremely short for a black metal riff but functions perfectly here as the melody is so minimalistic that anymore would feel gratuitous. The drums provide evolution by transitioning from a simple martial pattern with the snare and hi-hat in unison ended by a triplet fill to a full on triplet blast beat with an eigth note fill in unison with the last four power chords. This imbues the chorus with even more energy as there is a sense of endless acceleration throughout. The vocals only appear on the third beat of every second bar to accentuate the final clash of power chords and the drum fills with short bursts of vicious shrieks. Of note too is the fact this is played extremely sloppily as an emotional outburst and so a lot of the accentuation isn’t quite as hard hitting but in its stead it gains a dose of barbarism that can only come from spontaneity in the recording process.
In terms of melodic substance, there are three main intervals: the root note, a perfect fifth and a major second. These are all considered traditionally consonant intervals and form the basis of most standard scales and are the building blocks for the entirety of western music. Which is interesting in this case as Antaeus uses the same set of intervals as “Happy Birthday” in the most diametrically way possible. The way they achieve this is by holding on to these notes and not using them as stepping stones to a form of resolution. Instead of creating melodies, the band return to the root note after each note which halts any progression and forces the interpretation that this is a clash against the root note. The first part of the riff does this in tremolo picked with the root and fifth as if there was hope that there would be resolution but denies any such allusions to repeat the same idea with an eighth note strum against the ambiguous major second. The sudden change in rhythm and refusal to build upon the foundation solidifies this riff as one that preaches only violence. Though one would expect the band to opt for more dissonant intervals, that would only make this clash less violent and would feel more like random notes pushed against each rather than the all out war the riff evokes. It’s the combination between ambiguous yet consonant intervals and the willingness to focus on the inherent confrontation of limiting the number of notes in a melody that makes this riff incredibly powerful and effective despite its simplicity.
While Antaeus were never the most groundbreaking band nor have they ever claimed to be, they have managed to carve their own niche by developing underappreciated ideas from the best of black metal’s past to carve a unique niche for themselves. Countless bands have attempted to create the most destructive black metal imaginable, though very few reach the aggression of Antaeus as that aggression exists in every single facet of the band’s sound rather than being a purely aesthetic choice.
