Ater – Somber
Ater – Somber
Torque Records
Release Date: 19/04/24
Running Time: 36:20
Review by Oli Gonzalez
10/10
Band origins. They always intrigue and fascinate in equal measures. Usually it’s a case of friends meeting in school and starting a band. Or a group of individuals seeing an advert online or in a record store and meeting to let the riffs riff. Maybe it’s a case of someone moving from Chile to the USA, meeting like minded individuals at a Meshuggah concert and bringing the music to life? This would be the case for Ater, with band founder and creative force Feroz leaving Santiago circa 2018 and enlisting Josh and Stephan to the cause, after meeting at said concert. Derived from the Latin for dark or gloomy, Ater lists bands such as Meshuggah, Septic Flesh, and Batushka as key influences. Personally, I’m salivating at the prospect! Let’s waste no more time and get straight into it.
Well, the Meshuggah influence is there in ‘Striges’. Jaysus, that guitar tone is HEAVY. Be warned, this is intense, slicing through the air like a razor sharp knife! Has Stephan got robotic ankles, because no mortal should be able to strike the double pedals as fast and sharply as he can! There’s a lot crammed into only 2 and a half minutes, switching from bludgeoning and slow to lightning fast and blistering. This is delightful. Not as delightful as ‘Descending’ though, an early highlight for me. This is as dark as the band’s name. An absolute juggernaut. I rewound that opening passage multiple times to be continuously immersed in that glorious wave of blackened Death Metal serenity.
‘Somber’ offers an acoustic guitar opening that is spinechilling and austere, and certainly not what one would expect from such a delicate instrument. When that wall of sludge inevitably begins pounding my eardrums again, it’s all I can do to headbang like a maniac and pull my dirtiest stank face! This is dirty, in the best of ways! Does it djent? Of course it fricking does! This assault continues in ‘Through The Portal’ with the sinister half measures only adding to the intensity. That’s what I find remarkable. It’s like Feroz has studied the best and most effective ways to create disgustingly heavy music, ranging from slow and painful right through to blistering blast beats. ‘Ignis Immortalis’ being among the best exhibition of blastbeats on this album! That’s not to say there isn’t room for something more melodic towards the end, with the harsher growled vocals becoming Gregorian chants taken straight from the Batushka hymn book. A nice touch indeed and something I honestly never expected. These vocals make a return in ‘Shrine’ though, offering a much more ambient and melodic passage in the centre. Are you ready for a face melting solo? Of course you are, and you get one here in this very song. You’re not ready for the absolute skull crushing that comes after! I should take a break and let my senses rest, but I can’t. I’m hooked! I allow the merciless assault on my senses to continue throughout ‘Sæculi Fine’. There’s no need for fancy adjectives or colourful descriptions for what’s going on musically. It’s uncompromisingly heavy and takes no prisoners. We get some respite on the final track of the album, ‘Solitude’. A stripped back instrumental, we can rest and return to a sense of normality. Then that’s it. It’s all over.
Look. Let’s make this simple. If you’re a fan of music that’s heavy as fvck, listen to Ater. You’ll be hard pressed to find heavy music as elegantly presented as what you will find in “Somber”. Where other bands fail, Ater succeeds in providing multiple methods to mercilessly massacre your senses and mind.
TRACKLISTING:
01. Striges
02. Descending
03. Somber
04. Through The Portal
05. Ignis Immortalis
06. Shrine
07. Sæculi Fine
08. Solitude
LINE-UP:
Feroz – vocals, bass
Josh – guitar
Stephan – drums
LINKS:
Disclaimer: This review is solely the property of Oli Gonzalez 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.
