Antipope - Rex Mundi - Reviewed By allaroundmetal ! Check it out here at this link: https://www.allaroundmetal.com/component/content/article/26-releases/10210-antipope-scrigno-di-metalli-preziosi
And here we are again in the presence of a band coming from the icy Finnish lands, where - when it was the year 2004 - to warm up their limbs in the grip of chilblains, the Antipope thought fit to put everything on fire, creating a deadly mix of Progressive, Black, Gothic and Industrial Metal. The themes dear to the Finnish combo were, at first, ideological, religious (well, actually the name of the band doesn't leave room for the imagination ..) and mythological, to then evolve towards the more intimate and introspective ones . Not the usual Scandinavian black metal all blast beats and mosquito guitars with a canned sound, this album is much more: it's a melting pot of styles and musically perverse and extremely dangerous ideas. After a nice intro, creepy as we haven't heard for a long time, a "Rex Mundi Aeternum" breaks through which - in its 10 minutes of duration - makes us climb perilous but fascinating sound paths, where anything and everything really happens, and I won't tell you other! The following "Hounds Of Lords" continues along the lines of the opening track: in my memory (and I assure you that I have years on the back) only some bands like Mercyful Fate, wrote pieces in which there were so many tempo changes like in this effort of our four "friends" of the holy father. The incipit of the following "Eye of the Storm" is simply terrifying, as is the entire song. And so, away, our Finnish big boys rattle off a sequence of songs that are all a casket of metallic gems (ideas) that represent a real crossover between Black, Dark, Symphonic and Gothic: and in this sense they are "Progressive", accompanying us in the exploration of musical territories, although not new (by now nothing is invented but revisited and personalized) at least very well reworked and assembled. An assembly that has given birth to a great work, a significant chapter of the metallic Bible that - in my humble opinion - you cannot and must not miss; by purchasing this CD you will really bring a plus to your discography and your metallic culture. accompanying us in the exploration of musical territories, although not new (now nothing is invented but revisited and personalized) at least very well reworked and assembled. An assembly that has given birth to a great work, a significant chapter of the metallic Bible that - in my humble opinion - you cannot and must not miss; by purchasing this CD you will really bring a plus to your discography and your metallic culture. accompanying us in the exploration of musical territories, although not new (now nothing is invented but revisited and personalized) at least very well reworked and assembled. An assembly that has given birth to a great work, a significant chapter of the metallic Bible that - in my humble opinion - you cannot and must not miss; by purchasing this CD you will really bring a plus to your discography and your metallic culture. allaroundmetal
Release Date: October 28, 2022
FFO: Sentenced, Dark Tranquillity, Rotting Christ
Location: Finland
Finland’s icons of melodic and progressive metal return with their highly anticipated 6th album “Rex Mundi”. A through-and-through concept album is set in the 1200’s based on the Albigensian Crusade / Cathar Wars, delivering 11 bold tracks of progressive, melodic and deeply conceptual metal unrestricted by the confines of any singular genre. The bloody, brutal and tragic story of the birth of the Inquisition and the rise of the church of Rome as the spiritual super-power of the era is backed by melodic yet heavy guitar rhythms which breathe with acoustic segments, all interspersed amongst monster metal riffs and searing drum grooves. The album showcases a depth and range of sound and variation demanded by the epic, brutal, and tragic story told on “Rex Mundi”.
The ever transforming but always recognizable, progressive, melodic heavy metal artisans Antipope are a staple in today’s modern hard music scene. Since their founding in Oulu, Finland, in 2004 they have released 5 full length albums, “Desert” (2010), “House of Harlot” (2011), “3 Eyes of Time” (2013), “Denial / Survival” (2017), culminating with 2020’s break-through release “Apostle of Infinite Joy” on Fertile Crescent / Moribund Records. Building on the foundation of 1980s heavy metal and 1990s black metal, Antipope has not shied away from making excursions into realms of industrial, gothic, and doom metal during their career.
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Cover artwork and sleeve artwork: Danny Gonzalez
Follow the band and label at these links:
https://www.instagram.com/antipopeofficial/
https://www.facebook.com/Antipope/
https://twitter.com/antipope_band
http://www.antipope.info/
http://www.moribundcult.com/
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