ASPHYXIUM ZINE

Thursday, January 14, 2016

CD Review: ATRORUM Structurae

ATRORUM
Structurae
Apathia Records
Let me start by saying that I’m the kind of guy that visualizes things when I’m listening to music, so I’ll be using visions to describe what I’m hearing. I had no idea what to expect when I clicked on the link that I was provided, but I was pleasantly surprised.
The first song that I heard was Menschsein. I immediately thought of an evil circus kind of scenario. The guitar chords in the beginning set a dark vibe, and the piano made me think of carnival music. The music was put together well. This is one of the most interesting blends of sounds that I’ve heard in my life. Very refreshing. The screamed vocals sound like they came straight from hell, and the clean singing in the middle make the whole song sound epic. All in all, I love the way this song makes me feel. The ending gets super heavy for a moment, then gently lets you back down again.
The next song on the list is Große weiße Welt. This song gets straight to the point. The first thing you’ll hear is this weird electronic synth that sounds like it could have been in a Sci-Fi movie about extra-terrestrials, accompanied by some heavy guitars and vocals. The vocal harmonies are absolutely horrifying. If ever there were a soundtrack made for sacrificing humans to, this song would be on it. Pure evil.
Up next is Amapolas. It sounds sweet and innocent in the beginning like something you would hear in an old Disney movie. Honestly, the first thing that I thought of was the movie Bambi. However, those feelings didn’t last very long. I was soon picturing corpses lying all around a burning field. As if Bambi and his whole damned neighborhood had just been blown away by a napalm bomb. Halfway through the song there is this really cool jazzy section to help put those thoughts to rest. I have to say, I love the dynamics of this band. They really know how to build you up and tear you right back down again.
I wish I could tell you the name of the next song, but there isn’t a single English character in the track title. This song sounds fancy as fuck. If Queen Elizabeth were a metalhead, she’d rock this all over the castle. It’s extremely bizarre in a magical way. I don’t even know what some of the instruments are but they’re working. The end of the song reminds me of a Viking funeral or something. Interesting song to say the least.
Next we have Camouflage. This song is catchy. It almost sounds like something you would hear if you were watching a live musical. Very well written. The more I listen to it, the more I like it. It’s difficult to describe the sound. I’ve never heard anything like this in my life. This is some seriously innovative shit right here. If you’re reading this, just go listen to it and see for yourself.
The sixth song on the album is titled Verfugung. This song sounds angry, in a peaceful way. The music is almost relaxing but the vocals sound so mean. This song is proof that you can make some really heavy music without distorted guitars and blistering blast beats. It’s almost entirely acoustic.
Track 7, my personal favorite, is called Équipartition. This song makes me think of pirates. Something about the intro reminds me of the opening scene in Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest. It gets heavy after a few minutes into the song. The whole song is twelve minutes long and it’s good from start to finish. I almost lost interest at the eight minute mark, but it picked back up again before the song finished. It’s a great piece really.
The final track of the album, Regnum Caelorum, is just a bunch of noise. Literally. 1:48 of white noise and ambient sounds. Not worth checking out on its own, but a great way to finish the album if you’ve been listening from beginning to end. I listened to most of this album in the dark with headphones on, and this last song was kind of nerve wracking in that particular situation. The last fifteen seconds were suspenseful in an odd way.
Overall, this album is amazing. Highly recommended for anyone who likes to hear creative music that defies genre classification. These songs were sang in six different languages for crying out loud. English, German, French, Spanish, Latin, and Russian... Who does that? Apparently AtroruM does that and I love it. -Chase Fincher

Track list:
1. Menschsein
2. Große weiße Welt
3. Amapolas
4. Ψαλμός
5. Camouflage
6. Verfugung
7. Équipartition
8. Regnum Caelorum

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