For a band that has been around so long, Germany's Atrocity is painfully overlooked.
The band has went through a number of changes in style since the release of 1994's Blut. Originating as a death metal band before eventually dabbling in industrial and gothic styles, Atrocity is still together to this day. Just in a different form. See, Atrocity frontman Alex Krull is best known for being Mr. Liv Kristine. And once aware that Krull is the husband of a legend in the gothic metal scene, it becomes easier to understand why he and his bandmates put Atrocity to the side to focus completely on their work in Leaves' Eyes, the melodic metal band fronted by Liv.
Still, it surprises me to see how many Leaves' Eyes fans -- and heavy metal fans in general -- shrug and shake their head at the mention of Atrocity. I've enjoyed the band for a year or so now, beginning with the much more recent, accessible concept album Atlantis and eventually working my way back to the earlier stuff like Blut. I mean, to say that Atrocity is nothing more than Leaves' Eyes without Liv would be a lie, unless said in reference to some of the toned down material from Atlantis or 2000's Gemini. Even then, it'd be a bit of a stretch. It's just odd that more Leaves' Eyes fans haven't investigated Atrocity further. It's a shame too, because Atrocity rocks.
Blut, like Atlantis, is a concept album inspired heavily by Bram Stoker's Dracula film. Krull's lyrics are frequently written from the point of view of a vampire, and the general theme is one of darkness, love, and evil. Krull has this way of barking out the lyrics that can easily convince the listener that he's crazed. It's chilling at times. "Miss Directed" combines Mathias Roderer's harsh, gritty guitars with Krull's equally abrasive vocals. The chant-along chorus gives it an accessibility that isn't found in many of these other songs, but the general vibe of the song is one of brutality.
"B.L.U.T.," (Blood Lust Undead Trance) is my personal favorite from Blut. Roderer's strangely melodic, churning guitar melodies provide an interesting contrast to Krull's maniacal shouts. One second, you're nodding your head along to the music; the next, you're greeted with a complete outburst. That's what I like to call "metal done right." The haunting acoustic ballad "Calling The Rain" features lovely guest female vocals by Krull's sister, Yasmin. Some say this song doesn't belong on Blut. However, I think it works well on the disc. It shocks the listener, providing an unexpected offering of tranquility and uninterrupted melody. The tinkly acoustic guitar passages are doused with a small amount of flutes, which is especially effective.
Another highlight comes with "Goddess in Black," a four-minute journey of crashing double-bass drums and wildly thrashing guitars. Horror movie fans will be delighted to know that Atrocity incorporated an entertaining soundbyte of the legendary Dead Alive/Braindead line, "I kick ass for the lord!" into the song. Yasmin Krull makes another appearance at the end of Blut, first in the solemn, one-minute interlude "Soul Embrace," then in the theatrical, doom-paced closer "Land Beyond the Forest". Her strange chants and inimitable voice assist greatly in creating the perfectly demented atmosphere for the slow, violent assault of guitars and Alex's throaty wails.
I can not accurately compare Atrocity's Blut sound with that of any other band. I can only say that this album takes a dash of doom metal, several handfuls of death metal, a sprinkling of acoustic bliss, and makes it into something extremely distinctive. As much as I admire what Atrocity has done here, I will not hesitate in saying that it is bizarre. It's not something that listeners of mainstream rock/metal will easily digest. Blut is a bleak world of enjoyably unrefined vocals, gory lyrics, and unapologetically heavy metal. Atrocious.
Great Music to Play While: Sinking your fangs into someone while doing a rain dance, contemplating which mythical forest creature you're going to battle next.
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