Atavistia- Cosmic Warfare
Atavistia- Cosmic Warfare
Self-Released
Release Date: 21/04/23
Running Time: 49:00
Review by Rory Bentley
8/10
Now that I’ve given up hope of them ever producing any new music ever again after spending their crowdfunded money on a sauna, there’s a big Wintersun-shaped hole in my life. This is a real shame because despite Jari being a procrastinating megalomaniac masquerading as a perfectionist, I really love Wintersun and there’s no band truly like them. The combination of Folk, Black, Power and Prog Metal channelled into compositions that feel as old as time itself yet sharp as a dragon’s claws is something I just can’t get anywhere else. However, Atavistia have arrived with something that does a serviceable job of scratching that itch with third album “Cosmic Warfare”.
The band list Wintersun, Ensiferum and Dimmu Borgir as primary influences and I list these artists as right up my bloody street my friend. The result of this mutant combination of the epic and the ethereal is a lot. Like really a lot. This record is to subtlety what Trent Reznor is to optimism. Depending on your taste and general mood at the time of playing this is both its biggest strength and weakness.
The production on this thing sounds like a million bucks and this is immediately apparent on the opening orchestral intro of Omega Nova which sounds like a pissing contest between John Williams and Hans Zimmer. I’d happily listen to an album of just this but the title track has other ideas, erupting out of the drama with blastbeats, tremolo guitars and some fantastically overblown tenor vocals that sound way more European than you’d expect from a Canadian bloke. The scintillating liquid guitar solo is a particular highlight here, shredding on the neck pickup but still relatively tasteful and complementary to the ridiculous kitchen sink fuckery underneath. It’s an incredibly strong start and the closest thing this record has to a banger.
Despite being an even longer cut, ‘Ethereal Wanderer’ gets to the meat of the matter much more quickly, with more spacious sections that allow the orchestra to create and a superb chorus that gives way to a folkier section where the orchestra goes full Nightwish. It’s pure maximalism but there’s definitely some songwriting nous admist the controlled chaos.
Despite being the most melodic song so far, ‘Spectral Rebirth’ could potentially be the point where some listeners tap out. Somehow it ups the drama with a greater choir presence and an intro that I swear is almost as long as the Enforced album I got sent the other day. The quality is still sky high, but it’s a lot to digest after everything else that’s been thrown at your ears thus far.
Thankfully ‘Divine Destruction’ and ‘Forgotten Silence’ offer just enough sonic variation to allay the fear I had of the album blurring into one symphonic riff soup. The former has rustic timpani and thunderstorms combined with driving tribal drum work and has a more earthy feel than the cosmic bluster that went before. The latter contains the most clean vocals of any song on the record and is grounded by a staccato, stabbing motif that pulls the composition together and stops everything going off the rails. It is a monstrous, triumphant full stop to an album that seemingly only has one gear, but it’s a hell of a ride.
For me “Cosmic Warfare” is an album you have to be in the right mood for, if you’re hungry for bombast and you want your head blowing off then there aren’t many Metal releases that will do a better job this year. If the band continues to refine their songwriting, learn from Jari’s deft way of building a simple hook in Wintersun and do a bit of trimming, the next release will be glued to my earphones. As it stands this is still an immensely satisfying feast of galactic theatre that I had a grand old time with.
‘Cosmic Warfare’ Official video
TRACKLISTING:
01. Omega Nova
02. Cosmic Warfare
03. Ethereal Wanderer
04. Spectral Rebirth
05. Divine Destruction
06. Forgotten Silence
LINE-UP:
Mattias Sippola – Guitars/Vocals
Dalton Meaden – Guitars
D’wayne Murray – Bass
Max Sepulveda – Drums
LINKS:
Disclaimer: This review is solely the property of Rory Bentley and Ever Metal. It is strictly forbidden to copy any part of this review, unless you have the strict permission of both parties. Failure to adhere to this will be treated as plagiarism and will be reported to the relevant authorities.
