ATHEIST — Piece of Time (review)

Album · 1989 · Technical Death Metal

4.5/5 · 2014-10-23
siLLy puPPy

ATHEIST released their debut right at the time when death metal was sufficiently distancing itself from thrash to become a distinct subgenre and here on PIECE OF TIME it sounds like a bridge between 80s thrash metal and the emerging tech death metal from the 90s. For the most part we get more of a tech thrash sound than a true death metal album, however Kelly Shaefer's vocals on verging on the death style and ATHEIST was one of the major transitory acts to usher technical death metal into the 90s along with acts such as Death, Cynic and Nocturnus. This album was actually recorded in 1988 and was released in Euroope in 1989 but not until 1990 in the US due to the label Mean Machine Records going bankrupt. With relentless gallops and sudden progressive time signature changes, ATHEIST proves from the getgo that they had what it took to stand out from an ever increasingly crowded room of Morbid Angel clones.

Although nascent in the tech department there are signs of more complex jazz-fusion and progressive learnings of the next two albums coming into play. This album means business as far as bombastic and fast played riffage goes. The music is brutal with high tempos but exhibits the high quality songwriting that was inspired by Rush. The album flows well from beginning to end with no songs ever outstaying their welcome. In fact by the time the album is finished I want MORE!!! Despite the excellent technical skill of all the musicians involved I have to say that it is Roger Patterson's bass playing that really knocks my socks off. It is he in fact who is the backbone of the band's highly skilled sound for he can pound those four strings like no other. Sadly he was killed in a car crash while recording the next album and his loss may be one of the main reasons that ATHEIST opted to pursue the more progressive route since Patterson's technical bass skills were impossible to replace in terms of both skill and speed.

more than 2 years ago
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siLLy puPPy wrote:

more than 2 years ago

Atheist has become an all time favie of mine. They were a cut above the rest at the time and even to this day :)

Time Signature wrote:

more than 2 years ago

I love 'Unholy War'... mostly because of the over-the-top bass fills.

UMUR wrote:

more than 2 years ago

Yeah they are a pretty cool band.

siLLy puPPy wrote:

more than 2 years ago

Hey UMUR just read this last post. Thanks for the Hellwitch suggestion. Been diggin' it a lot lately :)

UMUR wrote:

more than 2 years ago

I´ve already written reviews for Hellwitch, but they are in backlog, and I probably won´t get to them before in a year´s time or something like that. The reviews of "older" releases, that I´m posting at the moment, where all written about 1½ years ago.

siLLy puPPy wrote:

more than 2 years ago

Listening to tracks from Syzygial Miscreancy on YouTube. Very Atheist like at this time. Very cool stuff. Cool song titles and the vocalist sounds like he's holding on to a live wire :)

siLLy puPPy wrote:

more than 2 years ago

What?!!! No reviews for Hellwitch. What was going on in Florida in those days?

siLLy puPPy wrote:

more than 2 years ago

Thanks! Not sure i have a fave of the first three but probly the next one. Havent heard Jupiter yet. Hellwitch sounds promising

UMUR wrote:

more than 2 years ago

While Piece of Time is undeniably a Classic, and I greatly enjoy the album, it is my least favoured Atheist album overall.

If you enjoy this style of music I would strongly suggest that you take a listen to "Syzygial Miscreancy (1990)" by Hellwitch. A contemporary act playing a very similar style...