PlanetMosh Keeping it Metal
With this, the first in a new trilogy of thematically-linked albums, German deathgore gods Atrocity have set themselves the aim of ushering in a “new era”, one in which they seek not only to produce a series of albums which are “brutal, bombastic and dark” and their “heaviest and most brutal albums of their touching three decade long history.
If this is their intention, then ‘Okkult’ is a definite affirmation that they are on the right (or should that be left hand?) path, as right from the opening chorale of ‘Pandæmonium’ this is a masterclass in the art of pure evil DM – crunching, melodic riffs, harmonic and catchy choruses, punishing rhythms which let up at just the right moments to infuse even more evil into your soul through the resultant silences, all topped off with a stunning, towering vocal performance from Alexander Krull, who dominates the album in a colossal a manner as has rarely been witnessed since King Diamond or Tom Warrior in their respective heydays.
Such is the effectiveness of this album that even the slightly passé sub-industrialism of ‘Satan’s Braut’ makes perfect sense and works on a ridiculously sublime level, especially as it serves as an apposite introduction to the slightly more experimental but nevertheless impressive second half of the album (as epitomized by the awesome ‘When Empires Fall To Dust’, which combines the goriest elements of sub-goth-industrialism with atmospheric Celtic Frost-ish BM extravangance).
Track list:
- Pandæmonium
- Death By Metal
- March Of The Undying
- Haunted By Demons
- Murder Blood Assassination
- Necromancy Divine
- Satan’s Braut
- Todesstimmen
- Masaya (Boca Del Infierno)
- When Empires Fall To Dust
- Beyond Perpetual Ice
- La Voisine
‘Okkult’ is out now on Napalm Records.
