Before I get started I’d like to offer my condolences to the
friends and family of Mitch Lucker, the late vocalist of Suicide Silence. Mitch
was cruelly taken from us at 28 when he lost his life in a tragic motorcycle
accident. I’ve always been a huge fan of Suicide Silence and one of my greatest
regrets was that I never had the privilege of seeing them live. His vocals were
among the best in the business, with a screaming range that was particularly
impressive and made Suicide Silence a standout band in their genre. The Metal
community will forever remember and miss you and it breaks my heart that his
daughter Kenadee will grow up without her Father. R.I.P Mitch.
And now without further ado, the main reason you're all here.
 | ||
| 1. Sparks 2:18 2. Old Ghosts/New Regrets 2:50 3. Dream Run 4:09 4. Wild Eyes 4:19 5. Dark Days 4:05 6. The River 5:27 7. Swing 3:32 8. The Slow Surrender 4:14 9. Atlas 4:09 10. Sleight Of Hand 4:27 11. Snake Oil & Holy Water 2:49 12. Blue & The Grey 5:47 Total Time: 48:06 |
This time around the band has taken their normally furious lyrics
and infused them with a razor-sharp social commentary, painting a picture of
the destruction of our world to come. This is a band that appears to have the
weight of the world on their shoulders and is making it their mission to inform
us that the fate of our planet is in our hands. Therefore there is no more
fitting a title than simply “Atlas”.
Such a bleak, nihilistic vibe in terms of lyrical content is
nothing new to Byron
Bay’s finest, however
this kind of fierce social consciousness is unusual territory for Winston
McCall and co. This time around the band has taken an interesting new world
weary direction lyrically on this album and I for one find it ironic that such
a bleak album is so enjoyable to listen to.
The eerie start on opener “Sparks” begins with acoustics and a peaceful
chant like spoken lyric, then you are treated to Winston’s ever impressive growl
halfway through the song and as usual, he delivers. Then on “Old Ghost/ New
regrets” it’s back to business as usual with Parkway’s trademark rumble
prevalent pelting you through a starkly bleak and heavy ditty. Songs like this
“Wild Eyes” “Dark Days” and “The River” are trademark slabs of Parkway Drive’s
brilliance which are packed with the superb Parkway style riffs which drive the
songs and get pits going.
However this is an album that is exceedingly adventurous,
especially compared to old offerings. The acoustic guitar on “Sparks”, the pop-punk style chanting at the
beginning of “Wild Eyes”, the clean female vocals on “The River” and the
orchestral sections on the title track. I personally think these are brilliant
additions and I’m pleased Parkway are trying new things, However these
innovations will no doubt divide opinion amongst fans and may alienate some die
hard fans. We may even hear the oh-so-cliché cries of “sell-outs” within the
band’s fan base… which would be quite frankly ludicrous. This being said there
are some little things that haven’t worked as well, for example the DJ
scratching on “The Slow Surrender” is something which ruins a perfectly good
lyric and just sounds unnecessary.
All things considered I’d say this was a bloody good album,
which offers something new and intriguing for Parkway fans and critics alike
and I’m certain this record will divide opinion. I strongly recommend this
album as it is further cementation of Parkway’s place at the top of the
Metalcore pile. Particular highlights for me are “Wild Eyes”, “Dark Days” and
“The River”. This album gets the ParaReviews seal of approval.
8.9/10
Check this out if: you're a fan, or are new to metalcore/metal in general and want to see how they do it down under.
For fans of: Parkway Drive, Hatebreed, As I Lay Dying, August Burns Red
Atlas is out now on Epitaph Records
Atlas is streaming in full here
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