By Christophe
Did you know that the Netherlands actually have more than Amsterdam, Heineken, a lenient softdrug policy and a passion for cheese?
Anyway, the Dutchies also have a rich tradition in quality punkrock. Ever heard of Funeral Oration? NRA? Undeclinable Ambuscade? I Against I? Travoltas? They ware all really good bands. And that tradition is still going strong. And with The Real Danger, Brat Pack, This Routine Is Hell and Antillectual, this tradition is still very much alive.
The band started out in 2000, and has been touring like maniacs. And this culminated in an incredibly tight sound on their third full-length, "Start from Scratch". But in spite of that title, the band hardly started from scratch. Instead, they built on their own musical proficiency. And as a three-piece using dual vocals, playing very technical punkrock, and belting out political themed lyrics, it shouldn't really come as a surprise that Antillectual builds on the sound of "Today's Empires"-era Propagandhi.
There's no shame in that. First of all: it's damn hard to get on the same level as the Canadian legend. And it's even harder to make it interesting, easily accessible, fun to listen to and not to sound as a blatant copy altogether.
Antillectual succeeded in all of these aspects. By which they earn their spot as one of the best European punkrockbands around.
Score: 8 out of 10
http://www.shieldrecordings.com
http://www.myspace.com/antillectual
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