Xantam – Altered State (AD&D Blackened Death Metal)
Is it a thing that bands starting with “Xa” are one dude? Total exaggeration on my part, because only Xasthur comes to mind, but now there’s Xantam. Maybe I’m on to something… Anyway, so clearly there’s an AD&D obsession here, because one, dude’s got a beholder on both of his releases (this and a demo) and he’s named after a thief or something from Baldur’s Gate. I forget. Also calling himself “Xantam the Beholder” is basically rolling d100s like crack rocks. AD&D metal is usually dangerous and dumb, as much as I like tabletop gaming. Thankfully Altered State is of a different variety, but like many one-dude bands, it is sufficiently lacking.
Honestly Xantam’s demo, LifeDeathBeyond (released by the same label) is pretty slay. I mean we’re talking perfect roll plus bonuses with an occasional HP loss due to lack of dexterity. Altered States is much of the same, but with a toned-down quality that lacks the same punch, unfortunately. The riffs are capable, yet exhausted, and the keyboard arrangements, which make up about 50% of this EP I’d estimate, are just a little better than those prison albums. Xantam needs to find himself, because at the moment he’s playing an outdated expansion module. If I wanted another demo I’d, well, I’d probably find another band that had a demo. To drop an EP four years after an acceptable demo is -5 to charisma.
Written by Stanley, Devourer of Souls
Xantam – Altered States
Blood Harvest
3.1 / 5
