ATROCITY - Masters Of Darkness
Few extreme metal bands from Germany have been around for so long as Atrocity, a band also known for its innovative and varied approach to music. In 2013, their more recent longplayer Okkult was released, starting the beginning of a trilogy. Because of a busy live schedule and other projects, band leader Alexander Krull took his time for the second instalment of the saga which is supposed to come out in July 2018. To shorten the wait, a new EP titled Masters Of Darkness has been released.
It’s not yet clear if the four tracks of this EP, which will also be released as a seven-inch vinyl record, will make it to the new album, but they show already the direction the band is heading to. Not unlike four years ago, the band is playing crunchy death metal, performed at a technically high level. The vocals are mostly growls, the pace of the music is very elevated yet still precise. Especially the drums are incredibly impressive. To add a little bit of drama, the band hired a choir that can be heard on the soundtracks for The Lord Of The Rings and Star Wars. It’s impressive how these monumental choral chants harmonise with brutal metal music. The first three songs are rather direct and straight in your face, but the concluding Devil’s Covenant sees the band adding even more theatrics.
If Atrocity can uphold the high level of this EP on the forthcoming album, we will get an innovative death metal album of the highest calibre. And just as on the predecessor, there will be a scavenger hunt where the fans can find with a little help from clues in the booklet a bonus track on a pure 24 karat gold CD. The CD will be hidden in an occult location. More will not be revealed by this time.