ANTIQUUS
Ramayana
Independent Release
2004
7.5/10
Very similar in nature to early Iced Earth and Jag Panzer, Antiquus favors adequately epic songwriting flavored with a progressive bent.
Despite the bizarre cover photo, which is a painting of an Indian woman with trippy-looking swirls, this record is much more enticing than one would expect. While this album could stand a bit of tweaking from the perspective of the mixing desk, the powerful, melodic vocals of vocalist Jesse White and the intensely talented guitar harmonies expressed by Jeff Dormer are worth the price of admission.
"Tanlin Bridge" offers plenty of powerful, traditional heavy metal sounds, while the six-part title track is highly ambitious and could stand as an EP in its own right. Look to the eleven-plus minute "Battle Of Eylau" for some brilliant Spanish guitar overtones and a highly dramatic ambience, making it the centerpoint of this worthy release.
And to think, these guys are from Canada. Cheers, hosers!
Written By: The Thrash Commander
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