Antikaroshi - Crushed Neocons
by Peter Allison
published: 21 / 3 / 2009

Label:
Exile On Mainstream
Format: CD
intro
Bland and drearily uniform heavy metal on debut album from German-based group, the Antikaroshi
With its distinctly political title, I was expecting this debut album from the German based Antikaroshi to have an equally defiant political edge, much in the style of Rage Against the Machine. Instead, I was disappointed to find that the Antikaroshi have a distinctly cooler and much more subdued approach to their music, which I cannot deny tainted my initial impressions. The opening track. 'Downtown', is perhaps the weakest on this low-key indie album and for me was a cause of my initial dissatisfaction, since given its title and implied subject matter, I was expecting an album centred around the theme of global politics. With this in mind, I found the insipid vocals and plain music on offer to be a grave disappointment. This does not in any shape or form denigrate the actual skill or quality of their music, for Thea’s guitar work is exceptional, and Aroshi (drums) and Ntik (keyboards) are likewise skilled. But I found Thea’s passionless and bland vocals, which was often unclear and drowned out by the instruments, to be disappointing. There is also limited diversity in the structure of the Antikaroshi's music which re-used the same format on several tracks, and this dreary uniformity quickly led to me becoming bored. Having said that, this is not a terrible album, as there were a few more exciting moments, but these was sadly in the minority and were unfortunately overwhelmed by the negative points. Overall, this album is flawed by its weak vocals and limited sound.
Track Listing:-
1 Downtown2 Fistful
3 Pes
4 Sound Advice
5 Contradiction
6 Cruiserwait
7 Baskerville
8 Thin Line
9 Prsndcns
Label Links:-
http://www.mainstreamrecords.de/bandcamp
most viewed articles
current edition
Spear Of Destiny - InterviewRobert Forster - Interview
Fiona Hutchings - Interview
When Rivers Meet - Waterfront, Norwich, 29/5/2025
Carl Ewens - David Bowie 1964 to 1982 On Track: Every Album, Every Song
Brian Wilson - Ten Songs That Made Me Love...
Pistol Daisys - Waterfront, Norwich, 29/5/2025
Credits - ARC, Liverpool, 17/5.2025
Gary Numan - Berserker
Deb Googe and Cara Tivey - Interview
most viewed reviews
current edition
Peter Doolan - I Am a Tree Rooted to the Spot and a Snake Moves Around Me,in a CircleGarbage - Let All That We Imagine Be The Light
Little Simz - Lotus
Suzanne Vega - Flying With Angels
John McKay - Sixes and #Sevens
Vultures - Liz Kershaw Session 16.06.88
Billy Nomates - Metalhorse
HAIM - I Quit
Vinny Peculiar - Things Too Long Left Unsaid
Morcheeba - Escape The Chaos
Pennyblackmusic Regular Contributors
Adrian Janes
Amanda J. Window
Andrew Twambley
Anthony Dhanendran
Benjamin Howarth
Cila Warncke
Daniel Cressey
Darren Aston
Dastardly
Dave Goodwin
Denzil Watson
Dominic B. Simpson
Eoghan Lyng
Fiona Hutchings
Harry Sherriff
Helen Tipping
Jamie Rowland
John Clarkson
Julie Cruickshank
Kimberly Bright
Lisa Torem
Maarten Schiethart