EP
Self-Released, 2020
8/10
A trio from Jerusalem who are just vocals, bass and drums, Andarta certainly do much with minimals tools, as these 4 songs are full of abrasive and often jackhammering style rock that’s part punk, part industrial and entirely exciting in a way that grabs you by the throat.
“Muscle” starts the listen with some mystery, as a dirge like atmosphere and crashing percussion lead into an industrial type throbbing alongside yelped, growled and even sung vocals, and “Bondage” follows with an ominous quality as talking and tribal like drumming builds into a jagged version of noise rock amid dense bass and a smattering of rhythm.
The back half of the listen follows a similar formula, and includes the screechy and dissonant “Weapon”, where traces of melody linger in the vocals, and “Dehumanise”, which is a more bare display of precise drumming, and minimal vocals that escalates into a tense execution of calculated noise.
In 20 minutes, Alon Ovnat, Itai Anker and Shaul Kohn impress us with their hard hitting yet unusually hypnotic approach. It’s their first EP, and let’s hope there’s more on the horizon as much potential is present in Andarta.
Travels well with: Th/s /s Sh/t- ///; Subduxtion- The Black Point