There are a lot of people under the impression that this is a pure, Death Metal record, in reality, however, it is just a Progressive album with slightly more aggressive instrumentation and harsh vocals. I can count on one hand the number of times something actually approximating to Progressive Death Metal occurs. And I can count the number of actual Death Metal riffs in this record on my fist. Anyway, Atomos is a Jordanian Progressive Death Metal band who’ve attained some very minor notoriety in the underground metal scene, primarily for this album.
Our show here starts with, “Book of Changes” and “Seal of Solomon”. In terms of technique, the music is impressive. With the highlights always placed on the extremely competent bassist, the band plays a highly inaccessible kind of Math Metal that occasionally flirts with musical styles such as Jazz, Techno and, more frequently, Death Metal. The time signatures and the tempo are changed often enough to confuse even the most dedicated Dream Theater fan and the drums (which seem to be triggered as fuck) are technical and creative enough to put many good Progressive drummers to shame. Unlike in regular progressive albums, the two songs do not start out slowly and only include heaviness later.
Track three in this outfit is, “Dimensions in Dementia”. The vocals are the most Death-influenced aspect of this recording but the highlights of this album are the lead guitars and drums. The song shatters the original theme with its overtly brutal and rather bleak sounding approach that goes more for musical weight than for technicality. The track then flows into a very Blues-influenced progression that decays and is brought up again for a more modern metal sound.
In “God of Underworld” [sic], the high-pitched wailing vocals sounded a little shaky here but, when the vocals do come in, they include some decent gutturals and shrieks. Surprisingly, the bass guitar has a pretty prominent part in the mix as well, playing some good lines that come up to join the guitar rises and amazing atmospheric keyboards during each cycle. Judging from the overall audibility of the track, the bass helps weigh down the sound that, at times, does become rather weak.
As for “Gilgamesh”, the track is detailed with crushing riffs, electronic sounds, and beautiful, hurtful solos that are all punctuated by the sheer skill and savagery of the drums (duties of the skins being handled by Mazen Ayoub). His drum technique is the stuff that legends are made of: unbelievably good, unconventional, and always perfect for the groove. Production values are top notch too, which is a must for any modern Progressive Metal album.
About “Atlantis”, the music manages to create a roller coaster of musical genres – a beautiful blend of Jazz, Progressive Death Metal, some Classical bits, and Dark Electronic. Musically, this album is flawless (kind of wraps up the whole review right there!), the guitar work is amazing and showcases the musical and song-writing capabilities of Anas. The bass lines are nothing short of a brutal inferno! Anas does a mixture of a Progressive slap-and-pop technique, along with the many jazz-based transitions found all over the album. Just like in every track before it, the song is mixed brilliantly with the electronic additions.
“Isolated Mind” is the last track of the album. It’s complex riffs are reminiscent of the most modern technical bands playing Djent even though Anas tends to avoid it to form his own amalgamation of various technical styles. The song tracks are full of contrasting sounds and are a combination of hyperactive solos and killer drum blasts, not to forget the blazing, electronic riffs. Atomos manages to find a comfortable sweet spot between: raw, organic sounds and modern guitar tone, brilliant programming, and electronic glitches. Throughout the album, Mazen’s drum work is top notch, fast-paced.
At the end of the day, Atomos’ latest is a strange little number that contains a lot of good ideas as well as some good effort. This might not appeal to your average oldies metalhead, but for those who look for intelligence and flair in metal genres, this may be a good little distraction from the outside world. Though, its limited appeal may be too narrow for its own good…
Review has been cross posted on our partner’s Jorzine website.