Antikatechon: "Woe is the Reward" CD reviewed on "Side-Line"

Content: Davide Del Col who’s better known as the artist behind Antikatechon strikes already back with a new opus. I’ve to say that previous work by this artist –including the split album with Nimh, revealed a poignant dark-ambient approach.

“Woe Is The Reward” clearly sounds as an invitation to join Del Col on a travel throughout obscure sound realms. From the 1st cut on you directly will be faced to chilling, buzzing noise waves reinforced by metal sounds. It all sounds like the work has been empowered by field recordings while synthesizer parts are injecting a dramatic atmosphere. The work is characterized by overwhelming sound vibes while sound manipulations and fragmented vocals (cf. “Mirthless Perseverance”) are joining in. The tracks have been built up with a remarkable move towards true climaxes. I’m here referring to the kind of female choral chants at the final part of “Mirthless Perseverance”.

But if there’s a real reference at this work when it comes to find a climax I for sure have to tip the title track. “Woe Is The Reward” feels like you get imprisoned in a dark sound web while you get tortured by whispering ghost noises and a progressive boiling noise wave, which comes to kill you by suffocation. Antikatechon still reveals this heavy apocalyptic side, which was already typical for the “Chrisma Crucifixorum”-album (2012). I like the diversity and complexity of the work. The tracks are moving from total drama to a kind of evasive nihilism (cf. Hostia”), which also is a great final to this work.

Conclusion: Antikatechon stands for a rather diversified and elaborated dark-ambient work, which has been again improved on the new work.

Best songs: “Woe Is The Reward”, “Hostia”, “Mirthless Perseverance”.

Rate: (DP:8)DP.

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