Rating: 7.0

Country: Hungary

Release Date: 2007

Record Label: Grindhead Records

Track list:
1. Százas Szögek
2. Rotterdami Erasmus
3. Éhlélek
4. Logikai Érzelem-Terminál
5. Tudok-e?
6. Kibera
7. Immanu-El
8. Drákói Lüktetés
9. Kellögem
10. Antimonumentum

Band Website: Roncsipar

Roncsipar - Antimonumentum

Vajsz Kornél - Guitars, vocals, sequencers, programming
Illés Dávid - Bass, laptop

Despite bein' a label that supplies us with all kinds of Death ‘n' Grind, Grindhead surprised me with this one, seein' as it is very far removed from the rest of their roster, ploughin' along in an overtly Industrial style, full o' electronic fiddle ‘n' drone, sleazy riffin', danceable drum-progs ‘n' lots of gloomy croonin'. I have only a limited knowledge of this type of music, so I'm not sure if my review will be of use to those who are heavily into it, but I shall have a good ol' stab at it all the same.

The disc begins with good ‘n' boppable rhythms and catchy, subtly overdriven, simplistic riffing, all dominated by those deep ‘n' breathy vokills. The album takes many twists ‘n' turns throughout its generous playing time, coverin' a whole host of different tones ‘n' textures; ominous ‘n' broodin', jaunty ‘n' upliftin', forceful ‘n' destructive, all of these ‘n' a few more are explored on Antimonumentum, making for a nice, varied collection o' tunes. The overall atmosphere is one of sinister, scornful murkiness, with a thrummin' rhythmic pulse that brings to mind a dimly lit, underground Cybergoth club, stuffed solid with hordes of UV splattered, flamboyantly dreadlocked, stimulant addled day-glo folk, gurnin' ‘n' coddin' while twiddlin' colourful poi and glo-sticks about the place in single-minded pursuit of the grimy groove.

The persistent, portentous bits of Roncispar reminds me of vintage Godflesh, or perhaps Skinny Puppy or something, whilst their buoyant ‘n' bubbly side sounds quite a lot like the Industrial Metal act Pitchshifter, who some of you may remember stuck out proudly like a sore electronic thumb in amongst their UK Nu Metal peers around the turn of the millennium. The vokill inflection reminds me of the guy from Neo-classical frilly Goth-pomp outfit Lacrimosa, only with less gaud, more grit! Although the majority of the vokills continue in this brassy manner, there's plenty of room for the occasional powerful yell or visceral howl.

‘Cos of its many electronic elements, the representation is clear ‘n' scything, and the studio staff employ highly appropriate production techniques to suit the mood of each number. The openin' track sounds warm, bright ‘n' bouncy, whilst the bleaker arrangements come across far darker ‘n' obscure. The guitar does have a tendency to sound a little bit thin ‘n' boxy, with the vokills slapped right on top, but other than that this is a solid recordin'.

I'm not sure what else to add to this really, except that if you're a fan of club-ready Industrial/Darkwave with plenty of menacin', shadowy parts then you'll certainly get along well with Roncsipar.

August 23rd, 2007