Antiversum - Cosmos Comedenti

By Bryan Camphire. The time has come for Antiversum to rear their ugly head once again on Invictus Productions. They're here to deliver their debut long player, Cosmos Comedenti (Cosmos Eater in Latin). The title is full of portent

By Bryan Camphire.


The time has come for Antiversum to rear their ugly head once again on Invictus Productions. They're here to deliver their debut long player, Cosmos Comedenti (Cosmos Eater in Latin). The title is full of portent: we've got some nihilistic music on our hands. Glistening obsidian adorns the cover, confirming any and all suspicions: this is oppressively heavy material of elemental depredation.

Antiversum adopts a sound that is well-defined and make it their own. You'd be forgiven for comparing them to Portal; the influence is palpable. However, Antiversum is no mere simulacrum of the gods. The band stands tall because they write great songs. Would Portal exist if not for Morbid Angel? Asking such questions is only useful in illuminating how pathways have been paved for new ideas over time. When all is said and done, solid songwriting is what's tantamount to transcending one's influences. Cosmos Comedenti is an expertly crafted work that continuously beckons the listener back for more.

The first minute of the record sounds like gathering gloom on a hopeless night. This is before Antiversum have even struck a note. "Antinova" is the name of the tune in question. It's a made up word, perhaps referring to some kind of cosmic increase of darkness. How fitting for a record about eating the universe.

Antiversum comes ripping through space like a nemesis to heavenly bodies all and sundry. A churning rhythm locks into place, throwing all equilibrium out of orbit. Ghostly whispers enshroud the atmosphere in a thick putrid all-encompassing fog. Stars blink out. Fear sets in. Unwholesome melodies smear the senses. "Antinova" winds down and things get stranger still. Guitars scratch through the black, opening up the landscape like a wound. This gaping maw murmurs forth a remembrance: This is not a dream.

Cosmos Cemedenti clocks at thirty eight minutes with four tracks. It's a succinct offering, one that sticks with you long after the music stops. Invictus Productions have put out some of the darkest metal to be heard this year. The first proper full length by Antiversum is a formidable addition to the roster of this fiendish imprint.