Anti-Mortem - New Southern

Published April 24 2014

*=Staff's pick	Words Of Wisdom New Southern 100% Pure American Rage* Hate Automatic* Black Heartbeat* I Get Along With The Devil Path To Pain Wake Up Ride Of Your Life Stagnant Water Truckstop Special* Jonesboro

Genre	Heavy Rock/Heavy Metal	Larado Romo	Vocals
Tracks	12	Nevada Romo	Guitar
Running time	47 Min.	Zain Smith	Guitar
Label	Nuclear Blast	Corey Henderson	Bass
Release	25 April 2014	Levi Dickerson	Drums
Country	USA	-	Keyboard
Producer	Bob Marlette
Similar artists	---

Oklahoma based youths Anti-Mortem's debut New Southern delivers what I believe is something that is able to boost the band's journey to fame. With power, emotion and a cracking heavy groove the band encounters the hazards of being newcomers to the scene and with Bob Marlette in the producer's seat, this is certainly no average outfit that has recorded stuff in its basement and I assure you that this mission won't be left hung out to dry.

The lead singer Larado Romo's mainly hoarse voice perhaps isn't the positively greatest in the business, but at the same time it's impassioned and it basically mirrors the songs' appearance at every point. It's rather typical for modern heavy rock and on a small number of times he applies his voice in a way that probably will make the listeners associate to American radio rock. Don't you now believe that radio oriented rock floods this release, because heavy and raw riffs are the outright pillars that dominate this record almost all throughout.

I don't want this to come out too bittersweet, but this effort is also frankly nothing that breaks ground or forges new territories and if you just scratch the surface a little, you will find various influences dated a few decades back. In contradiction I still have to state that Anti-Mortem has yet somehow proven its flaming existence and its own storming identity and this episode has more or less already found a place to root. This heavy atmosphere sounds pretty fresh, it's decidedly viable and also pulsating and heavy rocking in a way that I find attractive.

Performance	Originality	Production	Vocals	Songwriting
5	5	7	7	7

Summary
7 chalices of 10 - Tobbe