Not to be confused with their Through Fire EP (2020), Antagonist A.D have today released new single, “Through Fire”. The track comes with the announcement of the upcoming release of the second part of their three-EP series; All Things, releasing on 26th March via Greyscale Records. The track also reveals the name of the third EP to come (Are Renewed).
Antagonist A.D have described All Things as a capture of mental health issues as well as political issues that surfaced for the band members during 2020 – with the two subjects no doubt directly entwined. With a computerised voiceover at the start of “Through Fire” sharing something decidedly personal and vulnerable, the song reminds me of the idea that breakdowns and breakthroughs are closely partnered.
“In my exhaustion
I learn
to love myself”
Through Fire (the EP) saw the hardcore act pool their political and social concerns, feeling like a time capsule of modern day fears and frustrations. I suspect that All Things will be similar, with vocalist Sam Crocker describing it darkly; “Artistically All Things represents a great flood coming to wash away the survivors of a burnt world. There are women and children drowning and the upper echelon is praying rather than saving them.”
Sonically, the new track seems a little different for Antagonist A.D, most obviously due to the vocal approach at the chorus sections. With pace and riffs so draggingly slow that it’s almost unbearable, “Through Fire” has the listener stagnant in breathtaking destruction and gradual degradation. Dissonant at times, the song is an apt capture of disarray, but above all stands resolute in the face of the worst of times, before getting to the other side of difficulty.
Reflecting on “Through Fire”, Sam shares “This song is about hardship. It’s about making mistakes and although you need to learn and grow from them – once you walk through the fire and emerge on the other side you are not unscathed; the memory remains. You just decide on how you choose to deal with that. Are you going to own and learn from your mistakes, progress with lessons learned or are you going to continually loop through the flames and suffer/stumble forever?”.
Watch “Through Fire” below or stream via your preferred streaming service. Pre-orders for All Things are available now: https://grysclrec.lnk.to/allthings
