ATONEMENT - Atonement (2013)

Genre: death metal

Label: Self-released

Rating: 8.5/10

I have been a fan of Atonement since they were known as Down to Ruins. Québec City is known for its Black Metal scene, and Montréal is likewise more known for its rather high-quality death metal scene (Atonement, Phobocosm, Chthe'ilist, Obsolete Mankind, and last but certainly not least Gorguts to name just a few). While Gorguts are certainly their own brand of death metal, and Phobocosm are of the dark death metal variety, Atonement considered themselves "mystical death metal". For a mere $5 CAD this album may be had (it is only available digitally). Atonement, sadly, has not survived. The band members have gone one to other projects.

The guitars on this album are detuned, but not super-low. They are extremely spot-on and technically proficient. There are plenty of so-called "dat riff"s, like the one that begins at 1:51 of the first track, "Leviathan, All-Devouring." The sweeping on the guitars that follows is expertly executed. The solo at approximately 4:35 is brilliant and very tasteful, which I find uncommon for death metal. My favourite off this release follows, called "Ominous Sacrifice" which has one of those dat riffs at 0:44, which repeats itself later on and has a tremolo strummed rendition. I can't get enough of this riff. It stays stuck in my head for days at a time, and occasionally it comes back to me out of nowhere. The vocals fit perfectly; they're not so low that they're unintelligible, and yet they sound dedicated to the world's ultimate demise. The song closes up with a track of wildly sweep-picked guitar.

"Chalice of Flesh" has some odd chords for death metal, I reckon. Yet, they fit. And this song is perfectly dark. It's the first song, also, in which I really notice the bass hard at work. "Rev. 9:11" is a terse interlude, gruffly carried out. "Apollyon" explores multiple modes and scales, and yet manages to avoid popular death metal cliché. There is a fairly beautiful acoustic section, over which a tasteful, melodic guitar solo is lain. "Purification"'s shining moments are the riff that occurs at 1:09 and repeats throughout the song, especially near the end. "Fire in the Veins, Blood in the Eyes" proves that they are a thousand times the guitarists than I'll ever be. The intro features a lot of tapping, sweeping, and overall madness. The riff that backs the solo at approximately 1:50 is priceless, as is the solo itself. During the chorus, the instruments slow down menacingly, and then let out into this evil riff. The whole of "Wrath of Tiamat" is memorably dark, and features riffs that WILL get stuck in your head. "The Calling," the second to last track, is completely acoustic, and very short. The last track, a giant one called "The Rise of the Ancient Ones" is, and I hate to use this word in a metal review, punishing. At 12:16, it's long for a death metal number, but it passes by swiftly, for it is just permanently fast-paced. The end half of the song has one of those defining riffs that signify that it's the end. Ironically, it signifies that it's the end of Atonement.