Antiquus

Antiquus formed in 2000, working to bring together a coherent group of musicians to produce their first album, Ramayana. The original members of the group, Andrew Bak, Jeff Dormer and Scott Unger, recruited Dave Priban to play second guitar, along with Jesse White doing vocals. Ramayana was released independently in 2004. Reviews were generally positive, some even saying Ramayana was one of the best progressive metal albums to come out of Canada. Ramayana was a concept album, the bulk of the album retells the story Ramayana from ancient Hindu lore. A single song on the album told the story of the Battle of Eylau.[4]

In 2005 Antiquus recruited two new guitarists, Trev Leonard and Geoff Way. With this lineup they recorded their second album Eleutheria.[5] Eleutheria was released under Italian label Cruz Del Sur.[6] The album once again contains a concept story that runs for the bulk of the album. The story told involves a captain of a vessel exploring and discovering new lands for his monarch king. Eleutheria is an ancient term for freedom, which is a theme within the album. This album could be more easily associated with power metal than their initial album, as such meaning the album was more accessible while landing them tour options with popular power metal bands such as Sonata Arctica. Reviews stated the album took some time to absorb, due to the nature of the band's varying sound. The lyrics being especially important to the experience in this album, many reviewers thoroughly enjoyed the album after developing an understanding of the story. The band recorded Eleutheria at Larry Anschell's Turtle Recording. Larry, who has worked with many groups, including Alice in Chains, Pearl Jam and Soundgarden, mixed the album. Eleutheria was mastered in Gothenburg, Sweden by Goran Finnberg, who has worked on projects for In Flames and Soilwork, amongst many others.[7]

In 2009/2010 Antiquus began to work on their third album, In the Land of the Blind with new guitarist Toshi Osawa, initially under their previous label. The label decided to part ways during recording, however band members forged on in order to release a completed album. They released In the Land of the Blind in 2011. Although there is no direct connection between songs like the tales that were told on their previous albums, most songs can be connected to the stories of men who tried to assassinate US presidents such as Charles Guiteau or Samuel Byck. In keeping with a theme of the mindset of a man who attempted to assassinate the US President, the songs portray these men as fostering erroneous delusions of grandeur, distortions of reality, feelings of alienation and doubt towards capitalistic society. Considering the assassins to be ultimately forces of destruction, the overall message is a declaration of the harmful, an essential fallacy behind socialist and collectivist ideology, from which each assassin springs.

Antiquus is currently on hiatus, due to the loss of their label during recording of their third album. They intend to record if they secure another record label to work under. Recently they recorded a cover of "Still Life" by Iron Maiden, on the album Two Minutes To Midnight: A Millennium Tribute to Iron Maiden.[1]