UMUR
"Atlantis" is the seventh full-length studio album by German metal act Atrocity. The album was released through Napalm Records in April 2004. It´s the successor to "Gemini" from 2000 and features one lineup change since the predecessor as drummer Martin Schmidt has been replaced by Moritz Neuner. Little was heard from Atrocity after the release of the gothic/industrial metal album "Gemini (2000)" was released, but the band members were actually working on two projects in the years leading up to the release of "Atlantis" as the members of Atrocity plus Liv-Kristine Espanaes Krull (formerly of Theatre of Tragedy and then-wife of Atrocity lead vocalist Alexander Krull) would launch the female fronted metal act Leaves' Eyes and release the debut album "Lovelorn" of said act in August 2004.
So these guys were certainly busy bees in those days, and to top it off, "Atlantis" is an epic scale concept album, focused on the myths of the sunken continent of Atlantis. It´s never a given which style of music you´ll be exposed to when picking up an Atrocity album, after the band´s experimentations with ethnic folk, groove metal, industrial metal, and gothic metal in the 10 years before the release of this album (after their early technical death metal/deathgrind releases), it´s anyone´s guess what "Atlantis" would sound like. "Atlantis" proves to be a return to death metal, but not the kind of death metal the band played in their formative years. Atrocity have instead opted for an epic symphonic death metal sound to suit the equally grand concept story. The goth metal influences appear here and there though, so "Atlantis" is a more eclectic release than what initial listens may reveal. Krull both performs death metal growls and clean singing on the album and is occasionally assisted by his then-wife on female vocals. So the material on "Atlantis" can be both heavy, brutal, and dark, but also more melodic and atmospheric.
Atrocity are a well playing unit and the vocals are also skillfully performed. Some of Krull´s most aggressive growling moments take me back to the earliest releases by the band, and when the band opt to play a blast beat part (which they do very rarely), it´s definitely a nostalgic moment for those of us who are predominantly fans of the band´s early releases. The combination of brutal death metal, mid-paced groove laden death metal, symphonic keyboards/programming, and goth metal atmospheres work well for the band though.
"Atlantis" features a heavy, dark, and detailed sound production, which suits the material well. It´s definitely a well produced release. Upon conclusion "Atlantis" is a consistent quality release by Atrocity and a welcome return to a more death metal oriented sound. As mentioned above it´s not a return to the early technical deathgrind releases by the band, but if you enjoyed the goth metal part of the mid- to late 90s releases by Atrocity, and can imagine what that would sound like paired with a heavy and dark death metal style featuring symphonic keyboards you´re halfway there. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.