Chuck Schuldiner Project

Saturday, March 2, 2013

Atrium Noctis-Home




I have long loved the most mysterious and occult black metal bands. The occult aura surrounding their music has always been a source of inspiration for me. Maybe thats why I love Atrium Noctis's debut album Home, or maybe its just the virtuosic musicianship and beautiful songs that make dreams into a reality. With a combination of classical rearrangements and black metal epics Atrium Noctis prove themselves to be capable and intelligent musicians on this premier effort. It shows a band filled with potential and ready to take the world of black metal by storm.

The music on this album is wonderfully arranged and the songs flow nicely. I really like the Rip sequence, a set of 4 variations on Beethoven themes. They help to give a sense of magic realism to the album and add a lot of flavor to the music. Meanwhile, the black metal parts are majestic with tints of pagan and folk metal that help to give the music an old and earthy feel. There is a nice interplay between death metal growls and black metal shrieks here too. I think that helps to make the music a bit more layered and varied. However they might be further improved by the occasional implementation of clean vocals. All in all though, this album is very solid musically and allows some stellar musicians to shine in black metals grimmest pits.

In conclusion, Home is a musical journey filled with pagan and folk influences upon a devilish black metal sound. This tour de force of 12 intricately arranged tracks manages to make a epic artistic statement that stays with the listener long after the first few spins. It draws the listener into its finely crafted soundscapes and refuses to let them escape. With lots to contemplate and many layers to this bands grim yet well produced sound Home is worth many a listen. It is a very strong release from what seems to be one of the greatest up and coming teutonic black metal acts!

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