Lifeforce Asu: CD-levy Vuosi: 2023, 02.06.2023 Kieli: Englanti
The fact that ATLASES from Finland sound different has its reasons. Besides the “normal instrumentation” of a metal band, the musicians from Pori also work with electronic drum pads and keyboards. Both are not just additional accessories, but an integral part of the musical self-image of this Nordic group. In addition, there is the creative demand to go further aesthetically and sonically than is usual in modern post-metal. In the cinematic soundscapes ATLASES are creating you can lose yourself completely.
The third album “Between The Day & I” pushes this approach to the extreme. The dualism of beautiful, atmospheric euphony and abrupt brute force works fantastically and provides lasting impressions. The sextet from Pori sets tension arcs time and again, which lead deeper and deeper into a maelstrom of rapture, melancholy and emotional discharge. On the follow-up to their 2020 LIFEFORCE RECORDS debut, “Woe Portrait”, ATLASES present themselves as resourceful songwriters who cultivate powerful contrasts beyond the usual conventions of post-metal and thus stand out. With “Between The Day & I”, the Finns prove that modern post-metal can still be developed further, if the right attitude and the necessary daring meet forward-thinking creativity and an elevated level of ambition.
The fact that the cover motif of the new ATLASES album evokes associations in the direction of the Mastodon classic “Remission” or “White Pony” of the mighty Deftones is a coincidence, but on closer reflection it fits pretty well.
