Atrocity can be easily considered a cult band, therefore there is a huge fanbase eager to listen to the new release “Okkult”. Often, Atrocity has been praised for its musical innovations, but “Okkult” feels like a collection of many favorite metal styles with a supernatural and macabre conceptual theme.
“Pandæmonium” has an unexpected black/gothic metal style full of hellish drums and devilish guttural growls. The highly symphonic keyboards and the operatic ominous chorus create a dark vampiric atmosphere that immediately reminds of Cradle Of Filth’s work.
“March Of The Undying” continues to illustrate the twisted symphonic nature of this album. The vocals are maybe too raspy to incorporate the epic musical theme while the operatic chorus is a necessary accessory to define such concept.
“Haunted By Demons” kicks in with an eerie intro that rapidly gives way to a “happier” guitar driven theme. The gothic features just linger in the background as the focus shifts to some vintage thrash guitar work.
On “Murder Blood Assassination” the main core is nothing out of the ordinary as it is all about super fast predictable guitar riffs. The harmonious keyboards passages and the soft piano outro seem to fit awkwardly among all the traditional heavy metal riffing. Even the polished technical guitar solo gets somehow lost in this instrumental mixture.
“Necromancy Divine” proposes again the eerie intro followed by the brutally tight riffing. Ghastly chanting and nasty venomous growls follow as expected. This track also features a fascinating breakdown that delivers the creepiness of vintage horror movies.
On “Satans Braut” the guitars carry a cold metallic sound but the rhythm has the modern Germanic catchiness of Rammstein. The tempo is slowed down with a rock attitude that makes this track absolutely radio friendly.
The most symphonic piece is probably “La Voisine”. The atmospheric theme here is more dominant than the brutal energetic guitar riffs. The keyboards arrangements are incredibly soothing yet gloomy, while the melodic death metal core flows quite naturally accompanied by exciting guitar solos. Overall, the instrumental concoction is able to portray the sinister song’s concept.
“Okkult” revolves around very traditional guitar riffs that are certainly easy to remember but fail to bring a true creative vitality. At the same time, this album has a modern blackened mood that is definitely new for a band such as Atrocity.