Album Review: Pyramid Schematics

Dear Antler is a self-described ‘occult rock band’ and while there are certainly elements of stoner and doom metal subgenres to be found on their latest eight track album Pyramid Schematics, they couldn’t have been more accurate in labelling themselves. Rock enthusiasts shouldn’t be scared of those connotations either; the band utilises the heaviness of heavy metal but delivers these songs with such a colourful array of tone and melody that first time listeners might easily become fast fans. Drawing inspiration from religion and debased power structures, Dear Antler delivers a scathing attack on societal inequity and corruption. Recorded and produced by principal songwriter Bjorn Christianson, and mastered at Kog studios, the album is well mixed and professional. The artwork, by tattoo artist Matt Parry, is well suited for the music – unusual, bold, clear and striking. What can I say? It’s a tidy collection of riffs indeed.

Things blast off with 1-800 Worship a frantic double beat ditty out the gate that features a marching riff, fast drums with buried vocals that only peek out from the distortion for the chorus of “look at me, here i am, worship me!” refrain. There’s a synth with a sliding filter pass that brings the song into the climactic conclusion. Things slow down a tad with second song, With Jesus as My Shield which actually (ironically) draws a little from country music with its simplistic stripped down riff complete with tambourine. There’s an undeniable Queens of the Stone Age flavour to be enjoyed here while the lyrics concentrate on blind, justified faith of the Christian variety: “…with Jesus as my shield, I can never go wrong, I can shoot off my guns … I’m dropping freedom like bombs”.

Teenage Satanic Recruitment Drive is my personal favourite the whole record and hopefully a music video will accompany this being released in the near future. There are scorching leads, occasionally harmonized, to be enjoyed. A fantastic great live song no doubt. The heaviness keeps coming with Death Caused By Dying which showcases a complex riff, disintegrating into a simplistic mesmerizing, hypnotic riff. The song has some incredible drumming with a just a touch of swing. The Blessed Hand of Evil has an unorthodox tone, which again reminds me of QOTSA, riff beginning complicated again but simplifying for vocals to both be performed and to cut through the mix. There’s a cool break for the drums to fill the gaps. A Black Sabbath influence is strong with this one. Oh yeah, and there’s a fuzzy, heartfelt solo too.

I’d previously already heard Sweet Little Worm both live and this recorded version before the album was released, and it’s obvious why the band chose this as their flagship. The song is a comment on negative, internal voice, or even schizophrenia. The song begins with intense feedback while a gloomy, Pentagram inspired funky bass riff constructs the song. The echoed vocals and eerie notes create a tense atmosphere. There’s an unusual note choice that is utterly unique in the chorus, almost Egyptian, as the vocals warn the listener: “sweet little worm, oh how you whisper in my ear, voices I hear they tell me the reason to fear,”. The drums are restrained in the verse making good use of the high hat. That rumbling bass holds the song together as a tortured guitar seems to fall from the sky to crash for the chorus to bloom. Great song.

The Devil’s Cave has an organ part, and with the harmonized riff, I can’t help but think of Deep Purple. The chromatically descending notes make the song seem quite retro. This song also features the most technically impressive guitar solo on the record that would make Ricthie Blackmore proud. Final song All of Your Sadness has a cloud burst synth to begin this slow ballad of heavily reverb-ed vocals but it somewhat reminds me of how well the band works in their previous, heavier guise.

There’s a wide range of guitar solo styles on the record here, while the voice, bass and drums remain intact. Despite this, within the confines of their own style of heavy rock, Dear Antler find different variations of rhythms and melodies over the eight tracks. Performed alongside their former work, these songs will go down a treat with existing fans. Heavy. Clever. Bold. Interesting. Sounds like I’m selling a whiskey.