When Dutch band MaYan were formed, they drew the attention of the worldwide press immediately. Reason: the great line-up. MaYan were formed by Mark Jansen, the guy behind Dutch top-acts such as After Forever, Sahara Dust / Epica or Les Faidits, and After Forever-colleague Jack Driessen. The first album, released in 2011 and entitled Quarterpast, was recorded by this duo, as well as guitarist Frank Schiphorst (known from e.g. Symmetry) and several guest musicians, and it was positively recognised in the international media and fan-base. In mean time, MaYan were able to perform live on stage all over the world (Europe, North and South America), including festivals like Graspop, Heaven & Hell (in Mexico), ProgPower (in the United States of the New World) etc.
This second full length is a conceptual album, dealing with a Big Brother-vision on the current state of Mater Terra (cf. N.S.A. and the spy-tactics/techniques, and the loss of privacy). It was created by higher mentioned trio, with assistance of several colleagues from Sons Of Seasons, Delain, God Dethroned etc., and lasts for more than an hour.
Antagonise starts rather promising with Bloodline Forfeit, which is a modern and melodic Death Metal track with, at the same time, a timeless Old School attitude, atmospheric keyboard lines, technically performed riffs, a pounding rhythm and a wide variety on vocals. After a while, one can enjoy the symphonic origins too by means of orchestral and operatic passages. Diversity isn’t just a hollow description, going for tens of aspects and details referring to the core of the musical approach.
And for a while it goes the very same way. Tracks like Burn Your Witches combine nasty and uncompromising Traditional Death Metal with technical Metalcore and grotesque Symphonic (Death) Metal. Sometimes it sounds too theatrical, unfortunately, or too emotionally laden, and for the better part it completely lacks of any own-faced essence. Sometimes it is focused on theatrical orchestrations, then again brutally battling warlike Death metal, catchy and melodic modern Death Metal and so on. The overall approach is rougher than most comparable acts, but still it’s enormously catchy and from time to time even way too safe.