Atheist

Obsolete – Animate//Isolate Review

By Diabolus in Muzaka on April 20, 2021 in Reviews, Death Metal, Thrash Metal, 23 comments

“I’ve spent much of this year listening to Obituary and Mortician. Both are death metal, but death metal is a wide field and you can’t mistake either band’s sound for the other’s. To address this, we put bands into subgenres within a subgenre – Floridian death metal, for instance. This is nice because I don’t want to sift through a bunch of Entombed clones to find something like Monstrosity. What about when our subgenres within subgenres cease to be useful to describe a sound? Then we get stuff like slam, which is brutal death metal played a specific way – a subgenre of a subgenre within a subgenre. If you’re thinking that Obsolete’s debut Animate//Isolate will lead me down a sub-sub-sub-genre rabbit hole, go ahead and give yourself an executive producer credit.” Old tech.

Contrarian – Only Time Will Tell Review

By Saunders on November 25, 2020 in Reviews, Death Metal, Progressive Metal, 15 comments

“My first exposure to American progressive death outfit Contrarian was on their third LP, 2019’s Their Worm Never Dies. Despite impressing with their technical skills and old school soul, the material never quite hit loftier heights, resulting in an enjoyable, talent-laden album of the solid variety. Only Time Will Tell is a relatively speedy turnaround and comes with some line-up changes in tow.” Prog after Death.

Coexistence – Collateral Dimension Review

By Felagund on October 24, 2020 in Reviews, 50 comments

“Technical death metal can be a fickle mistress. She can lure you away with promises of sublime virtuosity, only to bombard you with a cacophony of disjoined solos. She can entice you with the siren song of a bold sci-fi concept album, only to present you with a sub-standard Spawn of Possession clone. Despite this, there’s a lot of great tech death out there, but you have to be willing to separate the 8-string wheat from the 7-string chaff. So where does Coexistence fit in with their debut album Collateral Dimension?” All tech, no peace.

Cryptic Shift – Visitations from Enceladus Review

By Eldritch Elitist on October 17, 2020 in Reviews, Death Metal, Technical Death Metal, Thrash Metal, 68 comments

“While I’ve traditionally identified as a basic black metal bitch, my listening habits of late have hovered firmly above death metal territory. The art of the Big Dumb Riff has held absolute command of my Spotify search bar, and it’s all thanks to the diversity the genre pool has spawned in over three decades of evolution. Just as I finish my most recent round of dick flattening at the hands of something as unflinchingly savage as Black Curse, I know I can hop to the opposite end of the technical axis to enjoy similarly aggressive highs in a fresh context. Cryptic Shift’s debut is about as far from something like Black Curse as you can imagine on the caveman riff spectrum, but those same thrills are all here.” Up Shift’s creek.

Lantern – Dimensions Review

By Ferrous Beuller on August 8, 2020 in Reviews, Death Metal, 21 comments

“This review is obscenely late. Mostly because I’m trying to complete a PhD and not contract terminal stupidity from my Government. I’ve also been increasingly distracted by death metal’s performance this year. Without doubt, the genre’s legion of revenant revengers have clawed through the rot of 2020 and thrust a flayed face to the light. Lantern, who shone so pallid and putrid in 2017, are of particular note.” Late to the early grave.

Hemotoxin – Restructure the Molded Mind Review

By El Cuervo on March 15, 2020 in 2020, American Metal, Death Metal, Reviews, Thrash Metal, Unspeakable Axe Records, Death Metal, Thrash Metal, 7 comments

“In 2016 I reviewed the sophomore album by California’s Hemotoxin, entitled Biological Enslavement. It was a not-unwelcome slice of death-thrash with an eye for the old-school and a proclivity for the technical, though it suffered from indistinct song-writing. Almost 4 years later in 2020, its successor called Restructure the Molded Mind is set for release. 2020 has thus far proven to be a pretty shitty time to be alive but perhaps some raucous death-thrash was exactly what I needed to reinvigorate myself.” Blood poisoning and mind molding.

Exhorder – Mourn the Southern Skies Review

By Dr. A.N. Grier on September 20, 2019 in 2019, American Metal, Nuclear Blast, Reviews, Thrash Metal, Thrash Metal, 51 comments

“Exhorder have returned. And they’ve brought their mucky, Southern-tinged thrash with them on Mourn the Southern Skies. And, after a twenty-seven-fucking-year absence, they’re still angry and they still don’t give a fuck.” Vatican on lockdown.

Nocturnus AD – Paradox Review

By Ferrous Beuller on May 27, 2019 in 2019, American Metal, Death Metal, Profound Lore Records, Reviews, Death Metal, 90 comments

“There are few scenes that have been as instrumental in expanding metal’s horizon as Florida’s death metal explosion. Toiling towards the top of the totem has always been Nocturnus. Their debut album The Key will irrevocably remain a personal favorite and one of the genre’s canonical greats. Thanks to the incessant efforts of drummer and vocalist Mike Browning (of early Morbid Angel fame), the band has endured a tumultuous rebirth as Nocturnus AD. But can new album Paradox survive the curse of contentious re-branding and do justice to the band’s own lofty genesis?” The key to death metal’s past.

Gomorrah – Gomorrah Review

By Grymm on March 19, 2019 in 2019, Canadian Metal, Death Metal, No Light Records, Reviews, Technical Death Metal, Death Metal, Technical Death Metal, 218 comments

“Confession time: I am not the biggest fan of technical death metal. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy the classics, such as Death and Atheist, as well as choice cuts from Cynic. But the genre as a whole suffers from either too many scale acrobatics, or way too much chugging on the low string on a 7-, 8-, or even 9-string guitar to even warrant such a overly abused tag such as “technical.” In other words, technical metal bores me to tears most of the time. You know what doesn’t bore me, though? Canada’s Gomorrah.” Smile back at this death.

Contrarian – Their Worm Never Dies Review

By Saunders on March 14, 2019 in 2019, American Metal, Progressive Death, Progressive Metal, Reviews, Willowtip, Death Metal, Progressive Metal, 77 comments

“Dear readers, what are your favorite ’90s progressive or technical death metal albums? Perhaps it’s Cynic’s legendary Focus, Death’s Human, Edge of Sanity’s Crimson, or is it Pestilence and their classic Consuming Impulse opus? Or maybe Atheist’s brilliant Unquestionable Presence album floats your boat. Or digging deeper, a more left-field choice: Martyr’s underrated Hopeless Hopes. New York’s Contrarian pay omage to the classic ’90s progressive and technical death scene through their retro and impressively authentic throwback style of spazzed out prog death on their third LP, Their Worm Never Dies.” Undying worms and olde death.