Antioch is a heavy metal band from Canada with seven releases under their belts to date – ‘Antioch’ E.P. (2014), ‘II: First Stryke’ (2015), ‘III: Wings And Warlocks’ (2017), ‘IV: Land Of No Kings’ (2019), ‘Antioch V’ E.P. (2021), ‘VI: Molten Rainbow’ (2023), and ‘VII: Gates Of Obliteration’ (2024).
Founded by brothers Jordan (guitar, bass) and Brendan Rhyno (drums), the band is completed by Nicholas Allaire (vocals) – Antioch wasted no time in releasing the band’s seventh album, emerging just fourteen months after album number six! Influenced by the likes of Iron Maiden, Manowar, Scorpions and Judas Priest, the Canadian three-piece is a power-driven yet melodious metal machine, delivering infectious and anthemic style songs with an immense head-bang ability! The band’s new album features eight songs across a forty-four minute run time, ‘VII: Gates Of Obliteration’ opening with the seven-and-a-half minute ‘Frozen Highway’. Always a bold and confident choice to begin an album with a long song, ‘Frozen Highway’ features an atmospheric and tension fuelled first minute or so, the band breaking into a canter as ‘Frozen Highway’ gets underway, the overly heavy, anthemic nature accompanied perfectly by the deep raspy voice of singer Allaire. Pounding the ground hard, the band marched on with ‘Legend Of Tudohm’, and another short tension fuelled intro before Antioch hit much heavier than the previous song, accelerating quickly to send the mosh pits into overdrive! The head bang ability here is vicious, ‘Legend Of Tudohm’ speeding faster than a bullet, the screaming vocals reminding me of ‘Painkiller’ era Rob Halford (Judas Priest).
What an emphatic opening brace from the prolific Canadian metal machine – prolific in terms of seven releases in just ten years, Antioch‘s legions of fans not getting tired of the band’s fire in the slightest, a fire that burns just as strong now as it did a decade ago, ‘Tired Of Fire’ entering the fray with an almighty mid-tempo thunder stomp, the band shuddering the ground with immense force! There’s also a stronger melodious intent here too, with every metalhead from every corner of the heavy metal genre looking in the direction of the Ontario outfit. The infectious level started off high and has just got higher, the opening treble hooking every listener, fan and follower and not letting go, ‘Onward With Obliteration’ bustling into view, building to a crescendo ready for the band to rocket off at high velocity! The pace here is phenomenal, Antioch attracting thrash metal fans with this one, the head bang ability more vigorous than ever before – ‘All Gods, All Masters’ bringing a little of the doom-heavy style of Black Sabbath to the fore, Antioch at their most menacing here too! The already rough vocals take on a gut-wrenching abrasive howl to lacerate the skies with extreme prejudice, ‘All Gods, All Masters’ changing gear and tempo at halfway to resume the thundering traditional metal gallop heard earlier. The variation so far has been very wide, but within the confines of heavy metal territory – territory which Antioch has made their home for the last ten years…
…and likely for the next ten too, ‘Understand’ returning melodic heavy metal to the surface, replete with another screaming Halford-style vocal performance – the intensity of ‘VII: Gates Of Obliteration’ remaining in full force! And the sudden turn of speed after two minutes is electrifying, the band travelling faster than at any other time on the album – and at just three minutes in length ‘Point Of Entry’ is the shortest song on offer, the band oozing a massive elegant and majestic swagger! Antioch once again shudders the ground as ‘Point Of Entry’ thunder stomps across it, pulverising everything and everyone in its path! And from the shortest song to the longest, the album’s finale ‘In The Throes Of Arcane Lust’ clocks in at over seven and a half minutes in length, standing shoulder to shoulder with the longer album enders that legendary metallers Iron Maiden are renowned for. ‘In The Throes Of Arcane Lust’ has one hell of a build-up, the mid-tempo march raising the hairs on the backs of listeners’ necks to new heights, Antioch turning up the heat to pound and pummel everyone with a glorious gallop of hard-hitting, yet melodic heavy metal.
Overall, a thunderous heavy metal avalanche, ‘VII: Gates Of Obliteration’ mixes menace and majesty with a massive melodious intent.
TRACKLIST
Frozen Highway
Legend Of Tudohm
Tired Of Fire
Onward With Obliteration
All Gods All Masters
Understand
Point Of Entry
In The Throes Of Arcane Lust
Antioch: Facebook
Release Year: 2024
Label: Iron Shield Records
Category: Album
Country: Canada
Reviewed by Iron Mathew for Frenzy Fire and Metal-Roos.
