Everybody’s in a goddamn rush all the time. Everyone except the doom-metal dudes of Atavist, that is. It’s been more than 12 years since their last album II: Ruined — presumably because they went on hiatus for a decade after releasing it. And now that they’re back with the logically titled III: Absolution, they don’t seem to be in a big hurry to make up for lost time, either. These four dirge-rock tracks the exact opposite of short sharp shots — they’re outrageously long, blunt-force assaults on your senses. The bulldozing beats flow at a glacial pace. The subterranean bass rumbles like tectonic plates realigning. The guitars growl and howl and moan and buzz like dinosaurs battling swarms of giant insects. And the vocalist — singer is definitely not the word for what’s going on here — rages like an angry demon with his foot caught in a trap somewhere in the distance. Easy listening it ain’t. Thing is, it works. So you won’t be in a rush for it to end. It’s nice when things work out like that, innit?
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Reformed in 2016/17 after a 10-year hiatus, the UK’s most crushing Death/Doom stalwarts, Atavist, triumphantly return in 2020 with a brand-new studio album. The album, titled III: Absolution is the third full-length album from the band and comes almost 13 years after their highly acclaimed 2007 album, II: Ruined. III: Absolution comprises of four mammoth, new tracks of heavy, emotive and atmospheric Death/Doom Metal reminiscent of the band’s early history, but also incorporating the progression of a band who have grown as musicians and writers, over the last decade; in a variety of other extreme metal projects.”
