11th April 2023

Review: “The Mountain” by Atarka

Hailing from Birmingham Melodic Death Metal quintet Atarka were originally conceived in 2018, formed of guitarist Daniel McCarthy, bassist Adam Bayliss, vocalist Jamie Smith, guitarist Alex Dutton and drummer Phil Sheldon. Together they set loose a debut album titled “Sleeping Giant” in 2020, putting a Tyrannosaurus Rex sized boot print in the United Kingdom Underground scene with it which gained them much praise for creating a varied and imposing offering that has a smattering of Groove. “The Mountain” marks the sophomore and final effort from the original line up with Daniel McCarthy exiting stage left after its completion to be replaced by Haydn Edwards, a man who has already made his presence felt in the bands passionate live performances…

Lyrically the human condition and universal life events have proved a fertile feeding ground for Smith and here it’s no different, the bands strict diet of In Flames, Dark Tranquillity and At The Gates opening the gates of hell itself for “Throne Of Disgrace“. A powerhouse of an opening that takes the best of the Gothenburg Melodic Death Metal sound and blends it with the freshness of the 2003 American Metalcore sound that was originally inspired by it. Dark and foreboding, Smith’s vocal performance is brutally savage in the verse and delicately balanced in the clean chorus, during which the band lose none of their fire or energy. The vocal layering to provide an unclean backing to the cleans is a master stroke as the cleans lack a bit of power, something which is made up by their emotive quality. “The Nethermost Blight” then crushes the weak with a powerful Groove Metal tinged storm before diving deep into bouncy riffs and big sing-a-long chorus. There are hints at influences from the likes of Killswitch Engage and As I Lay Dying buried under the weight of the bands sonic abrasions, the catharsis of the larynx threatening vocals obvious for all to see. “Barbarian” finds the band joined by a living legend in Bjorn “Speed” Strid of Soilwork fame, a man whose vocals are very well suited to their style of music. Rather than writing a Soilwork track the band have done one of their own and the soaring clean vocal parts Strid is able to provide gives the balance that Smith can’t quite do on his own. Both brutal and melodic at the same time, the cut is a real testament to years of dedication from the band as a collection of musicians. Saving the best until last the EP title track “The Mountain” brings forth a tornado of riffage and thunderous percussive battery and while the lyrics are a little cliché they are easy to relate to and that is a positive. A mid track slow down that gives respite with the drums and bass dropping out works incredibly well because the bite back to full strength is the punch in the face that catches you completely off guard on the first few spins, while the acoustic melody that closes it out is as classic and classy as they come. Give us more! [8/10]

Track Listing