Anticline are a winning lottery ticket that no one has claimed yet.
In a year where Polaris, Lamb of God, Enter Shikari and other massive metal heavyweights have brought out albums, an act that you haven’t heard of has brought out the best release.
Anticline are up and comers hailing from Ballarat and their EP ‘Urgency’ has defined them as one metal act to watch. It seems only moments away they follow in Polaris’ footsteps and find themselves spearheading the scene.
Kicking off with the accurately named ‘Headspinning Bias’, ‘Urgency’ doesn’t fuck around. Quick drum fills, a bouncy riff that is tinged in all sorts of metal and changes in tempo similar to ‘Knocked Loose’ or ‘I, Valiance’, it is an insanely crisp opener. Just when you think the song is about to finish the next tune or riff comes in and immediately commandeers your attention.
‘Paroxysm (Everything Came Pouring Out)’ highlights the incredible flow of the band.
If anything, ‘Urgency’ as a whole feels like an incredibly well executed ‘fuck you’ to every band that sticks to the same structure for an entire song and ‘Paroxsym’ epitomises that notion. A sentiment backed by the lyricism in the track (which I assume are written by vocalist Dylan Volk, but being a small time band I struggled to find this information to confirm). Reminiscent of Dre Faivre’s writing style the lyrics are fit in to match the tempo of the song with certain words or lines of lyrics being accentuated into multiple syllables and across different lines. It’s a hip-hop approach that has found its way into metal for good reason; when it’s executed like this, it creates an amazing effect.
Justice For The Damned are my favourite Australian metal act so I was ecstatic to see Bobak Rafiee, the group’s lead singer make a guest appearance on ‘Pitch Black.’ Being two powerhouse vocalists, it’s incredible hearing the juxtaposition of Bobak and Dylan together. I could honestly listen to a whole album of collaborations between these guys. ‘Pitch Black’ also leaves a notable impression as the double kicks will be stuck in your head for hours after listening.
I hadn’t heard Anticline prior to the release of ‘Urgency’ but let me tell you, they are a winning lottery ticket that no one has claimed yet.
Bluntly, it’s a fucking travesty that they are still unsigned.
If labels like Unified and Resist Records don’t move quickly here they will miss out on an act that is an easy shoo-in for Australia’s next big metal act.
5/5
