Feature: Antidemon Albums ranked from worst to first

Antidemon Ranked From Worst to First

With the release (finally!!) of Antidemon’s latest album, Convergence, it seems rather fitting to look back on one of Christian death metal’s longest-running institutions. Releasing their first demo in 1994, frontman Batista has led the band through multiple line-up changes (especially in the guitarist department!) and released several classic records. For myself, it took me some time to get on board with the band. However, I kept wondering what all the fuss was about with these guys and gave them a serious shot. It was Ring of Fire and the track “Condemned Insane” that hooked me, and it wasn’t long before I owned most of their albums. Over the last few years, I’ve grown to really appreciate Antidemon’s unique blend of punk, grindcore and death metal. Batista and Juliana Batista have got to be the hardest working couple in metal, touring the world and spreading hope in Christ wherever they go. I admire their fortitude, as touring isn’t for the faint of heart and is a tremendous amount of work. And though I wish that Antidemon would release more albums more often (along with a whole host of other Christian metal acts), I’m just glad that we have what we have. So, without further ado, let’s get to the list.

Satanichaos
Satanichaos is what I call Antidemon’s South of Heaven record: it’s a slowed-down, rather reserved affair in contrast to so much of their material thus far. It lacks some of the punk and almost all of the grindcore elements so present on their first album, but also lacks the straightforward intensity of their second and fourth records. It’s toned down for a band known for an otherwise pretty intense sound. Mauricio Cabalho’s guitar work is fine, but the overuse of pinch harmonics on here is distracting at best, popping up in almost the same manner on a vast portion of the tracklist. Inexplicably, “Satan Defeated” and “Attack Satan” both begin with the exact same riff. That’s not to say that this album doesn’t have any merit; on the contrary, if you’re already an Antidemon fan, you’ll find much to still enjoy on here. In fact, it’s pretty cool to hear a band otherwise known for their blend of driving death/grind slow things down a bit, if only briefly, on tracks like “Deep Calls Unto the Deep” and “Verdict.” But as it stands, it feels too restrained for a band like this.

Demonicide
I read somewhere that Antidemon were originally styled – or styled themselves – as “death punk” (not to be confused with the subgenre of goth known as “death rock”). Whatever “death punk” is, Demonicidio is certainly rooted in such a hybrid sound. A cursory sampling of any number of tracks on this one will reveal the band’s sonic roots in punk and hardcore, something that gives this album in particular a very unique sound. Grindcore is also majorly at play on this album more so than on any of their other releases, with two tracks acting (“Deliverance” and “Deliverance II”) as homages to Napalm Death’s infamously brief “You Suffer.” Lyrically, the album is more focused on social issues than later releases as well, touching on drug addiction and abuse, suicide, and poverty. Where this album suffers in comparison to the band’s later releases is in the area of production quality. The drums here sound especially thin for music of this style, not to mention the music itself; given the skillful playing of original drummer Elke Garzoli, it’s a shame that her punishing style of drumming can’t be experienced to full effect here. Other than this, Demonicidio is arguably the band’s definitive work, stylistically speaking; with a beefier production, it would be even better.

Ring of Fire
Ring of Fire is the record that won me over to the band. To be honest, there was a time when I could not get into Antidemon. I found Batista’s rough, inhaled death bark odd-sounding, and the riffs just didn’t grab me at the time. Maybe it was the hype around the band, with Steve Rowe praising them to the hilt and signing them to Rowe Productions in order to release their fourth album, Apocalypsenow. I don’t know. But when I finally gave the band a chance, I found myself listening to them constantly. Ring of Fire ended up being my first purchase, and found a constant place in my CD player. It’s hard to tell if this record is an EP, a “live” studio album, or both. Recorded in Spanish rather than Portuguese, Ring of Fire is arguably Antidemon’s roughest and rawest record. Opening with an epic intro overlaid with a call to battle given via Batista’s signature death bark, the metal kicks off with the pummeling kick drum-driven groove of “Condemned Insane” and plows its way through grindcore-esque tracks like “Black Candles” and “Dogs From Hell.” Though simplistic, Antidemon here come off as the musical equivalent of a Gila Monster bite, chomping down and never letting go with their barrage of grinding, old-school death metal riffing and Batista’s mad dog-like guttural barks. My only real gripes with this one are that a) it’s quite a short record, and b) two of the tracks are just redos from the first album, keeping it from being higher up the list.

Apocalypsenow
Apocalypsenow is the band’s major label debut, with it being released by Rowe Productions thanks to Steve Rowe’s love of the band and its music. Opening with the title track, Batista and company slam the listener immediately with full-throttle death metal – and when the band is playing like this, it’s utterly fantastic. The charm of this band is their raw, straightforward and intense approach, and Apocalypsenow focuses in on that aspect of their sound much to the exclusion of the punkish aspects of their earlier sound. Tracks like “Virus” feel like the soundtrack to a hellish inferno consuming cities like a tidal wave, while tracks like “Rei da Gloria” pound the listener with precision blastbeats and Batista’s signature deep barked vocals. As with any Antidemon album, it’s not a perfect storm. “Welcome to Death” goes on far too long, lessening its impact, and some of the album’s more driving moments suddenly swerve off into meandering, slower sections that detract from the brutality of it all (maybe it’s just so we can catch a breath?). Aside from that, Apocalypsenow boasts some of the band’s heaviest music in their discography, and if you’re more into the death metal side of the band rather than their punk/grindcore side, you’ll definitely dig this one’s less than subtle approach. I’d argue that it’s my personal favourite go-to, but there’s one that tops it.

Convergence
I’m one of those annoying guys who usually insists on a band’s earliest material being their best (the amount of times I’ve said “I like the early stuff better” or something to that effect is almost infinite at this point). And yet here I am putting Antidemon’s latest release, Convergence, at the top of the dog pile. To be honest, by the time this one was released in late 2024, I’d almost given up all hope of ever seeing a new Antidemon album. It had been years of hints at recording, word of fundraisers to help with the project, and in spite of a lack of new material, the band touring relentlessly around the world (all while running a ministry known as Crash Church in Sao Paulo). Well, good things come to those who wait. It seems like the band is only getting better and better with age. Usually bands this late in their career begin to mellow out somewhat, but with Antidemon this is anything but the case. In fact, I would argue that this is Antidemon’s most intense record yet, but more importantly, it’s their most engaging. Batista’s hoarse and guttural bark is better than ever, and the music is more varied and dynamic than anything the band has done in the past, while still maintaining their signature, straightforward sound. “Slaves of Hell” slows things down in a way that sonically mimic the flow of molten lava, and on the opposite end, “Realm of Death” showcases a whole new level of technicality to their sound and incorporates a death/thrash approach to their sound. Juliana Batista’s drumming is absolutely stellar, and the guitar work is light years beyond anything heard on previous albums. Convergence is a devastating record that improves on every aspect of Antidemon’s style, and ends up being arguably their most intense and brutal record to date. This is Antidemon firing on all cylinders. A must.

About Author