THE JUDAS TABLE

After a string of four excellent records, Antimatter's fifth full-length, 2012's Fear of a Unique Identity, had been quite a disappointment for me, with its rather blunted and monochrome compositions and excessive duration. Thus, when three years later The Judas Table was released, I approached the new LP with a tad of apprehension. My worries were quickly dissipated though, because The Judas Table marks a clear return to form for Mick Moss and his band.

Soundwise, the new LP is not radically different from the previous one, mixing acoustic singer-songwriter music with dark rock and electronica - all imbued in deep melancholy and gothic/doomy atmospheres. The songs are driven by Moss' guitar, alternating between acoustic arpeggios and strumming, and more electric distorted riffs. There are a handful of guest musicians on the record, providing excellent guitar leads and solos, including Dave Hall, Kevin Dunn, and Glenn Bridge. Rachel Brewster is also back with her beautiful violin harmonies, while the rhythmic section, comprised of bassist Ste Hughes and drummer Liam Edwards, keeps a groovy steady beat for most part. Female backing vocals are perhaps less prominent than on previous Antimatter's records, and are provided by Jenny O'Connor and, on "Little Piggy", by Kirayel.

Lyrically, the album marks a return to more personal writings, based on Moss' own life experiences rather than the kind of social commentary he attempted on Fear of a Unique Identity. In fact, The Judas Table is a concept album, where Moss writes about the people who he has met throughout his life and who have betrayed or disappointed him. The more personal lyrics lend themselves to a more passionate and emotional delivery, which is exactly what Moss gives us here.

The big selling point of this new set of songs is the strength of their melodies and their ability to make their point concisely and incisively, something that Fear of a Unique Identity was definitely lacking. A handful of tracks included here have become all-time classic for Antimatter's fans, which testifies to the strength of the LP's material. These include opening track "Black Eyed Man", splendidly suspended between acoustic mellowness and sudden surges of power, the bitter anthem "Stillborn Empires" and the semi-acoustic piece "Little Piggy", with its humorous but caustic lyrics, beautifully interpreted by Moss. Other strong tracks include "Comrades", "Integrity" and the title-track "The Judas Table", which is more of a grower but actually one of the most ambitious and interesting songs of the record. There are also weaker pieces, however. The likes of "Killer", "Hole" and "Can of Worms" are not quite up to the level of the rest of the material, and the LP may have benefitted if at least some of these filler tracks would have been excluded. In terms of production, The Judas Table is a big step up compared to Fear of a Unique Identity. Daniel Cardoso (Anathema) takes on production duties here and he provides the music the kind of depth and warmth it needs, making it feel natural and close to the listener in a way the perfectly fits Moss' instrumentation and intimate delivery. I also appreciated the sequencing of tracks on the album: I love how, after an electric and fairly aggressive beginning ("Black Eyed Man", "Killer"), the LP gradually transitions to a more acoustic and mellow phase ("Little Piggy", "Hole"), before injecting another dose of electric energy ("Integrity", "The Judas Table"), until its short acoustic outro ("Goodbye").

Overall, The Judas Table is a strong album that sets Mick Moss and Antimatter right back on course, after the slight misstep of the previous album. Moss seems to have found again his penchant for writing brooding yet exquisitely melodic and catchy tunes, which are present in spades on this record. There are some slightly duller tunes too, which is why this LP does not quite match the level of splendor of some previous Antimatter's releases (Saviour, Leaving Eden).It is nevertheless a strong return to form for the band, showing once again glimpses of Moss' extraordinary dark rock sensibilities.