EP Reaction: 'Antimatter' by Nxxses

With how diverse the metal genre is, there’s bound to be a few subgenres that slip through the cracks for me — I’ve never had a high tolerance for the heavier end of the spectrum like death metal and black metal, and I’ve also had a tendency to overlook a lot of the more experimental and non-traditional categories over the years. That being said, last year I was introduced to trap-metal through the local music community here in Jacksonville, NC, which led me to get familiar with the South Carolina-based artist Nxxses.

What I respect most about Nxxses as a musician is his eclectic array of musical influences — him and I have had extensive conversations about several different artists, with two popular examples being Three Days Grace and Linkin Park. His knowledge and interest in so many different styles of music shines through in his discography as well — from his electronic instrumental/spoken word album mental_state to the slamming deathcore epic Planetary Devastation, Nxxses has found a way to incorporate several musical styles into his own sound from project to project, and each release promises to have its own identity. He’s also a very active artist that consistently releases new material, whether they’re on his own or collaborative tracks with other artists — for example, the two previously-mentioned albums were released within just five short months of each other. Nxxses had an eventful 2024 as well, with a couple highlights being the hard-hitting single “Carnage!” and a wildly impressive cover of Nothing,Nowhere’s “Sledgehammer.”

Nxxses closed out the year with the Antimatter EP, a 4-song collection of classic trap-metal tracks with Nxxses’ own personal stamp of lyrical violence and musical efficacy. The title track, which was also the lead single, is a good indication of the EP’s overall sound, with Nxxses’ gravelly vocals accompanied by ominous beats. As a horror fan, I can confirm that there’s something about the foreboding nature of the musical side of this EP that makes it feel perfect for some independent projects to utilize in their scores.

With just 4 tracks and clocking in and around 10 minutes in its entirety, the Antimatter EP is a very succinct release that feels even quicker due to the fact that each song flows from one to the next very well. While each track has their own distinct qualities, there are occasions while listening from front to back in which the whole EP feels like one long song because of how well the tracks work with each other. Personally, I’ve found my favorite to be “Die Twice” — even though it’s the shortest track on the album, I feel like it may have the most to offer, mainly because of the variations with Nxxses’ vocal cadence throughout the song. I imagine it’s easy to fall into a rut of recycling a handful of patterns and flows as a vocalist, but this one has quite a handful of switchups that make it that much more compelling.

All in all, the Antimatter EP is a great way for Nxxses to cap off the year, and one can’t help but wonder how this type of cinematic style will carry over into future releases. Whether the next one leans into more of a metal direction or focuses more on the dark trap elements, it’s safe to assume there will be some sort of elevated tone reminiscent of what can be heard on this EP. For the best effect, I recommend listening to it while driving at night, but that’s just me. Regardless, Nxxses always has a lot of irons in the fire, so I highly recommend checking out this EP and get ready for an eventful 2025.

Stream the Antimatter EP here.

Keep up with Nxxses here.

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