Artist description The best of 80's power metal combined with 90's progressive/technical metal.

Music Style Progressive Metal

Musical Influences Dream Theater, Death, Symphony X, Helstar, Queensryche

Similar Artists Dream Theater, Death, Symphony X, Helstar, Queensryche, Armored Saint, Forbidden

Artist History Formed in 1998, released first full lenght CD 2/99 sold out first pressing and remastered and rereleased the CD 11/99.

Group Members James LewisTy CookSean PerryPaul KostyackPaul Konjicija

Instruments Bass, Guitars x2, Drums, Vocals

Albums Antithesis (Self Titled)

Press Reviews Matt Johnsen / Metal Maniacs / Fast Forward / February 2000In Europe, where power metal is enjoying a resurgent popularity, it seems that every new band is from Germany or Sweden, and every one is a virtual copy of the great masters: Iron Maiden, Helloween, Gamma Ray, Running Wild, take your pick. The vast majority of European melodic metal is drench in a sea of sugary guitar lines, and all-too-hummable vocal melodies. But in America, melodic heavy metal has never been terribly popular, and the bands from this country have all tended toward a darker, more complex sound. The similarities from band to band are less obvious. The Americans have always seemed a little more eager to flex their instrumental muscles and challenge the conventions of the genre. As the decade draws to a close, melodic metal seems to be making a comeback even in the US, where a burgeoning underground is turning out some incredibly talented acts. A few, such as Iced Earth, Jag Panzer, and Steel Prophet, have managed to make their presence known through a string of releases on the more important metal labels in this country, but there are still a vast number of top notch bands toiling away on the D.I.Y. level, producing music every bit as worthwhile as their signed peers. Enter Cleveland's Antithesis.Brought together in late 1996 by a series of want-ads in musician's papers, Antithesis are the modern descendants of such long gone technical thrash legends as Forbidden and Helstar. The band's music is a little too heavy, and far too complex, to draw a direct line to Iron Maiden or Judas Priest, but melodic vocals and and undeniable appreciation for melody plants Antithesis squarely in the middle of the new power metal revival. The rhythm section of Jim Lewis and Paul Kostyack (bass and drums, respectively) lays down a convoluted but coordinated foundation for the nimble fretwork of Sean Perry and Tom Guignette, which alternates comfortable between chugging polyrhythmic grooves and lightning fast harmony leads. Standing undauted by the complexity of it all is vocalist Ty Cook, whose throaty, midrange voice is equally comfortable belting out powerful melodies and violent growls. The band's self-titled debut serves up a heady portion of high impact techical metal that doesn't skimp on hooks."The nice thing aobut Antithesis," offers Lewis, "is that we're smack dab in the middle of being semi-prog and power metal. We're not so power metal that the prog people can't stand us, but we're not so prog that the power metal guys can't stand us. We're catching both sides and it's really helping us out."Recorded just six months after the band first came together, Antithesis quickly sold out its initial pressing, but instead of simply ordering up another batch, the band went back into the studio to fix it up, rerecording many of the guitar parts (including new solos by six-string superman Guignette, who was not in the band at the time of the initial recording) and vocal lines, remixing and remastering the disc. The revamped debut is a powerful reintroduction that begs to be heard. Listening to it, you can't help but think that this is a band out to prove themselves, both as songwriters and musicians. Was the plan from the start to play such theory-oriented music? "That's the whole reason why I started this band," explains Perry. "When I got out of lessons with my guitar teacher, I was like,'I need to find people who know what I know.' So I found people who knew a load more than I knew, and that's basically Antithesis." Lewis adds, "We're trying to do something that's not the same as everything else that's going on; that's why we have the name we have."Unfortunately for a lot of bands, technical metal tends to fall flat in the live setting, and no matter how much you dig the music, it can get a little dull watching musicians stare at their fingers, no matter how fast they're moving. As the band's performance at this year's Powermad festival amply proved, however, Antithesis has the on-stage chops to back up the music. The band will be hitting the road in Europe later this year with fellow Ohio band Archetype and Swedish doom merchants Fifth Reason. After that, the band plans on taking its time to write the sophomore album. "The second album is gonna be more of a group effort," explains drummer Paul Kostyack, "because this time around we have five writers. I play guitar, and Ty plays guitar too, so we've all benn presenting ideas, instead of just Sean and Jim, who basically wrote the last one." Promising the take its blend of techical wizardry and outright power to an even further extreme, Antithesis is at the forefront of a quietly seething movement that is all but ready to boil over.Wes Royer / Open Up And Say / WebZine / March 2000 / (5 out of 5 points)Antithesis was essentially envisioned and created by guitarist Sean Perry in Cleveland, Ohio (USA), in the summer of 1997. This debut album was re–recorded in September 1999 with the final, permanent addition of a second guitarist, Tom Guignette. And the music is not typical of today's combined genre of progressive and power–metal.Antithesis bring a heavy and aggressive style of progressive–metal that is often lacking in the metal community; lacking in a successful manner, that is. As might be expected, the musicianship is tight, the songwriting is exceptionally strong. Please note that "The Web" is one of finest songs ever to grace this critic's speakers!But unlike most progressively inclined metal acts, the edge is heavier and Ty Cooks vocals are a throwback to ‘80s speed and thrash metal. Sorry, no wussy high notes here; only aggressive but controlled vocals.And for a band of this power, the music never dwells on the evils of life. This is a positive album with, as the band states, "no reference to the promotion of hate, violence, prejudice, vampirism, or the occult." Some have even dubbed Antithesis as a white–metal band."Antithesis' goal is to continually grow and progress," states the band, "producing quality, successful music without squelching creativity or originality, while affirming the positive images and messages Antithesis embodies."The band does show their softer side on "Secret Fires" and the first minute of "The Curse," but still maintains an amazing richness to the music. Fans of Helstar, Edwin Dare, and Hades should jump to the band's website and pick up this album ... like, now!

Additional Info http://www.intromental.com/antithesis/

Location Nova, OH - USA

Copyright notice. All material on MP3.com is protected by copyright law and by international treaties. You may download this material and make reasonable number of copies of this material only for your own personal use. You may not otherwise reproduce, distribute, publicly perform, publicly display, or create derivative works of this material, unless authorized by the appropriate copyright owner(s).