With the crowd as a whole potentially feeling something, – possibly actual emotions – following Absynth of Faith’s blazingset, Antania wasted no time beating the people before them into submission. However, despite the callous, ‘Bass Metal’ sound and aesthetic of ‘Dr Luna’s and Kali Mortem’s work, ‘Antania’ proves to be something surprisingly more human than their mechanical and murderous work implies this evening. However, that’s not to say that it is a solicitous nor affable affair – far from it in fact. Opening with select cuts from their brilliant record The God Complex, ‘Angels And Demons’ their new song ‘Mouth Sewn Shut” and the closing track, Static X cover of “COLD” sound inescapable and overwhelming tonight, with the tracks equally mechanically grinding and pounding those before them with produced precision.
Both Dr Luna and Kali Mortem – live – seem to relish in the industrialized ‘Doom Bass’ power and punishment being inflicted. With their presence adding additional fervor to these tracks and the songs ‘Black Glitch Six’ and ‘D3D Solz’ the pair seem to only add additional impact to their work tonight. Like cold hard steel hitting flesh repeatedly, Antania’s output tonight is penal and punitive and beyond the concept of reasoning.
Whilst this all may sound vindictive, it’s merely the outcome from the duo driving their mechanized sound with human presence; something that comes apparent with the likes of ‘The God Complex’ and ‘In the Fire.’ As ‘Dr Luna’ performs on a throne of machinery of his own design – his homebuilt instruments (KAT Percussion), the bass pads and dub machines – it’s on these tracks where his dedication to his work is evident and above all else paramount. As sweat drips from his horror mask onto cold and sculpted gadgets, it becomes clear that these instruments are not just triggers but rather artificial extensions of himself; home-crafted pieces of apparatus that become infused with human energy and a creative drive to create experimental work that can’t be replicated by machine nor programmes.
Truly, whilst many industrialist acts in the same vein as the project rely on an array of programmes to achieve their sound, to see ‘Antania’ execute their truly unique artwork via analogue means is a joy to behold. Kali Mortem’s vicious vocals were on top the whole night. She was spitting fire.
In fact, one could easily state that Antania’s live presence is almost akin to that of performance art; something made as Dr Luna uses every single one his appendages to deliver the musical bombardments. Ending on the likes of ‘COLD’ – a track that could be one of the best covers I heard due to it’s almost surreal delivery and unique, bewildering sound – it’s clear that whilst the industrial genre may be associated with acts removed from tonight’s co-headliner, there’s no denying that Antania live and breathe what it is to be an industrialist entity in every aspect possible. I missed ‘Funker Vogt’ as I had to get up early for work and I exclusively went to see ‘Antania’.
