PureVolume

Taken from Issue 16 of DECIBEL MAGAZINE

Antigama
Story by Kory Grow


Polands Antigama have no problem grinding grindcore to a pulp

"We learned that the most important thing for the band was to get rid of limitations in exploring different musical areas other than simple grindcore, says Antigama guitarist Sebastian Rokicki, from his home in Warsaw, Poland. We are more conscious of the direction we are heading.

Since 2000, Antigama have been stretching grindcores boundaries to the outer limits. Their latest album, Zeroland [Selfmadegod], sounds more like a collage of noise and technology, as blasts stutter in seizure-like fits, stop, and then hit harder than before. The name Antigama means destabilization, and the band looks at it as a mission statementgetting rid of all constrictions in creating original art, opening to experiment and widening our own horizons and skills. They purposely put moments in their music that challenge both themselves and their listeners, separating them from many other experimental and self-professed avant-grind bands. Then again, sometimes it just happens.

When they were recording their second album, Discomfort, in 2003, they were looking to change up their song This Structure is Tight. After recording and mixing it, they took to the computer during the final stage of production, digitally chopping up the beginning of the song so that it sounds at first like the CD is skipping, then breaks for a minute, then skips slower, before sputtering into an array of blast beats. In the two years between recording albums, Antigama learned a lot about experimenting during the recording process.

The step forward concerned our use of electronics and diversity of the composition, says Rokicki. Discomfort was a strong grindcore fireball of energy. Zeroland offers something more complex that isnt necessarily seen at a first glance. Its strongly experimental, and evokes controversy and extreme emotions When recording we allow ourselves to experiment a bit more, and thats where all our strange sounds come from.

With that in mind, its no surprise that Godflesh, and that bands leader, Justin Broadrick, have strongly influenced Antigamas sound. While the Polish grindsters share only static and computers with the band sonically, Rokicki proudly declares that Godflesh are one of the most progressive bands on earth. Antigama even contributed a cover of Anything Is Mine to a 2003 Godflesh tribute comp. Around the same time, one of Broadricks numerous Napalm Death replacements, guitarist Mitch Harris, heard the band and grew inspired. He connected with them, and hes agreed to make a video out of Zerolands Sorry in early 2006.

In the meantime, Antigama will continue to work on new music at their already incredible pace. In 2005 alone, they reissued one album, put out a split CD and released Zeroland. And like early Napalm Death, all of these recordings didnt last much longer than 30 minutes. We dont like long materials, says Rokicki. We like short blasts of energy.