Dan Hillier
Elicit and enigmatic, it was the group’s third LP and first international release Mythographer that pulled the ever enigmatic band into the collective eye of the scene in which they inhabit. It’s been roughly one year since that record dropped, and in celebration, the trio have returned with a follow up release modestly titled the Mythographer B Sides.
In terms of it’s actual contents, Mythographer B-Sides essentially lives up to it’s respective namesake. Contained within are two new tracks in the form of ‘Scope’ and ‘Nothing’ and four remixes – one of ‘Frontier’ by Pijn, one of ‘I Glow’ by Pressor and two of ‘Haoma’ by Eurodeath and fellow St. Petersburg residents Wowod. However, with this in consideration, one would be forgiven in presuming this is nothing more than a collection of rarities reserved for the devoted. This is far from the case however. The remixes are far more than the vapid tag implies and with the record clocking in at over forty minutes, this in itself is a full length record for the masses as opposed to the selected few genre connoisseurs.
The first original track, ‘Scope’, fully leans into the introspective and enigmatical nature of last year’s Mythographer. Harkening thoughts of artists not unlike Boards Of Canada, Burial and even 65dayosfstatic at their most illusive, mesmeric and progressive, the track see’s distant interloping synths beckoning forth a pulsating beat that slowly unfurls across it’s sub-six minute run time. It’s a track of meditative minimalism composed of a pulsating rhythm and that’s suspenseful and engaging but albeit a touch predictable in it’s quivering progression.
The second new song, ‘Nothing’, is anything like it’s given title. A sprawling ten minute electronic labyrinth of a track, ‘Nothing’ see’s Antethic taking their introspectively contemplative sound before shuffling it entirely in atmosphere and tone. Granulating synths almost stoic in tone both coil and entangle to form a trance beat that’s essentially danceable and almost hedonistic in character. Despite it’s marathon run time, this track never outstays it’s welcome. Instead it draws one in haplessly with it’s progressive take on trance and see’s Antethic’s take on the genre in a whole new neon clad light; the band’s aesthetic and atmosphere is unchanged and the same, but yet whole new emotions and directions are presented.
In terms of the four remixes on hand, to call them simply remixes would be a grandiose disservice to the sheer volume of thought, consideration and dynamism applied here. Potentially apart from Eurodeath’s remix of ‘Haoma’ – which is a seizing drum and bass enlivening of the original track – Pijn, Pressor and Wowod have more or less covered these tracks as opposed to simply remixing them. Following on from Eurodeath’s bombastic offering, Pijn’s reimagining of ‘Frontier’ makes this claim irrefutable. Antethic and Pijn may be separated by their approach to progressive thought, but this track see’s Pijn’s string led approach to post-metal unionising majestically with Antethic’s underground synthetic nature. With both respective artist’s specialising in highly textured depth, this version of ‘Frontier’ is a mystical soundscape that see’s immaculately composed motifs of electronica inter-tangling with Pijn’s string arrangement to form an esoteric piece of work and wonder that’s teaming with nuance. Even with this release being utterly fantastic as a whole, it’s this track that’s simply the gleaming highlight.
Both Pressor and Wowod take a similar approach to their remixes by making each track their own. Firstly, Pressor turn the once quietly idiosyncratic ‘I Glow’ into a hulking guitar driven post-rock driven juggernaut, one that see’s reverberating feedback clashing and intermingling with the celestial synths from the original track. It’s an oddly emotional and bittersweet movement, one complete with a haywire and frantic final passage of Pressor’s own design and creation. In relation, Wowod imprint the calamitous post-metal that was demonstrated within this year’s Yarost’ | Proshchenie onto ‘Haoma’ in order to further deepen the bathypelagic depth of the original track. Granted, the sheer aggression associated with Wowod’s work has not applied, but regardless, this is a harrowing and ever so slightly melancholic shroud of dark atmosphere that see’s the group using Antethic’s original work as a foundation for their own design.
In design and name, this may have intended to be an offering to bridge the gap between Antethic’s full lengths, but overall this is a creation that carries enough skill and finesse to stand alongside the group’s most accomplished bodies of work. The two new tracks present are blissfully thought provoking and serve as welcome return from the band – but ultimately – it’s Pijn’s, Pressor’s and Wowod’s offerings that make this an essential listen for the progressively and atmospherically inclined. Releases of this nature and calibre are often designed to be enjoyed in tandem with it’s counterpoint record, but the array of styles, complexions and soundscapes present make this a fantastic standalone record courtesy of one of the most interesting bands to be currently found.