ANTARTANDES is band founded in the year 2006 by Al Stumpf in Santiago of Chile. That same year, the band recorded their single demo debut named "Against the Planetary Order". Since then, the band started to make several recordings, between pauses due to personal situations and a rotations of the members of the band. In 2018, the band started a new era. Achieving a completely stable formation, Arminius, Argoth, Tempenor and Al took a leap forward by adding orchestration, with a wider musical approach, added to the inspirations, ideology, concepts and artistic projections of the band. "Illvsio Machina" contains six tracks.

"Lucifer Arquetipo Acorporeo" opens the album, with clean monotone singing and some orchestrations. The music creates a harrowing effect while the vocals vary from clean chants to semi-screams. "Explosion Implosion" opens with some symphonic effects, and then the vocals some in as semi-screams/spoken. It's really unlike anything I have heard before. This song has a slightly sterile sound to it...almost like Industrial Metal at times or something in the realm of RAMMSTEIN. I prefer the "orchestral" version. It has an air of mystery to it...like something that might be playing as your soul descends to the abyss, and it has a mesmerizing quality to it as well.

"Agonic Phantom" features some odd symphonic elements and vocals that you cannot make out. This track sound quasi-Dungeon Synth to me. "In the Black Circle" opens with a little discernable melody...from the way the riff pattern develops. There is still plenty to be frightened of, especially in the vocals. "This is the Flame" closes the album, with more of that synthy sound, and anguished vocals. The drums keep a steady cadence as well. It picks up in pace towards the end with a noticeable energy.

Overall, this was an enjoyable listening experience. There was enough variation to keep things interesting. It was fairly close to Dungeon Synth on the Black Metal spectrum for me. Each song featured that synth fairly prominently. Add in the vocals, and it's closer to Black Metal. A few more tracks, and it could have been a solid seven. I like the experimental approach however, and this is a band to keep your eye on.