ATHEIST — Elements (review)

ATHEIST — Elements album cover Album · 1993 · Technical Death Metal Buy this album from MMA partners
4/5 ·
Stooge
Right off the bat, you notice the incredible skill of all musicians involved more so than any other Atheist release. The band has evolved as musicians, and have expanded their personnel with the addition of guitarist Frank Emmi, while drummer Josh Greenbaum replaces Steve Flynn.

There are several instrumental pieces that help to break up the album nicely. Some cover metal territory familiar to Atheist fans, but others deviate from what Atheist was known for at the time, and dives head first into full blown jazz and latin music at times (“Samba Briza”). Many of these pieces are among my favorite moments on Elements.

Sometimes, the material on this album suffers due to a slight muddying of the sound, especially in parts that feature vocals and more aggressive drumming. I also find more than their first two albums, that vocalist Kelly Schaeffer’s style sounds more out of place on these songs. This is mainly because the music allows for little room for the vocals, or that the material isn’t always as heavy as it was in the past, but I don’t think the material as it is on the album would work as well just being instrumental.

In terms of the songs with vocals, some standouts include “Water”, which is an overall melodic but mostly aggressive song with a few interesting acoustic guitar interludes. “Air” features a great intro and rather interesting guitar playing throughout. “Earth” really strikes me with the rather groovy riffing in the chorus, and an odd electronic hip-hop percussion break that works surprisingly well. Pretty much every song on it has something that peaks my interest, be it a major or minor part.

Overall, this is an excellent and highly influential release that fans of progressive metal and technical death metal should enjoy.
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