Review: “Inane Ducam” by Atavistia

“‘Inane Ducam’ was an experimental writing process – lower tuning, the debut of Spencer’s [Budworth, bassist] fierce low growls, and tempos reaching close to 300BPM. During the Winter months of 2023, Vancouver experienced extremely dark, cold, and gloomy days which is an antidote to creating music like this. It’s an EP of our most extreme influences and our darkest release yet. Included is some of our most complex guitar riffs, fastest drums, and bellowing screams!” ~ Mattias Sippola

Having opened our minds to the art of the possible with their last album “Cosmic Warfare“, a record rich in flavours of Progressive Technical Death Metal and influences from Wintersun and Obscura, time has brought the winds of change to Atavista. Guitarist Dalton Meaden and bassist D’wayne Murray have exited stage left to be replaced by Elia Baghbaniyan and Spencer Budworth but the mission remains very much the same. World Domination. But at what cost?

A cinematic introduction piece of epic grandeur, “Inane Ducam” serves to cleanse the palate cleanser for the mind, wiping the slate clean with the eerie sounds of windchimes on the winds of plague before the rise of symphonics and some almost ethereal vocals. Having prised open the minds eye with a crowbar and an evil grin, a thunderstorm of percussion accompanied by rampaging guitars ushers in the urgent “Timeless Despair“. A violent and turbulent affair which contrasts death growls with shriller tones in brutal fashion, it has orchestration which sounds as if Hans Zimmer was at the helm. The senses are heightened, the hairs on the back of the neck arise and Atavistia command your full attention with a captivating and enthralling opening track that feels both heavier and more epic than their prior works, something which didn’t seem possible in 2023. “Dark Isolation” feels like Disney’s Fantasia reincarnated in Death Metal form with scorching guitars and pulsating rhythms wrapped in more epic orchestration. The key to it all is the mix, the enhancements never overpowering the Metal itself so that you get the best of both worlds as Maximilian Sepulveda reminds us why he is one of the finest drummers of his generation. A clean vocal passage is a nice touch while a blistering face melter of a solo confirms that while there have been changes nothing has been lost and the band still have the capacity to sound like Nekrogoblikon on steroids when they put their collective minds to it.

Sippola roars demonically as “Unattained Creation” unfolds with Sepulveda reaching new heights of performance from behind the kit to create another phenomenal track. The guitar work is spellbinding and sonically the band create an assault on the senses that refreshes parts others fail to reach, opening new neurological pathways in doing so. Lyrically the tale resonates with a narrative about being reborn in the fires of a supernova from which there is no escape, like an epic self immolation that lends itself to a stunning reincarnation. Riffs continue to fly in all directions as “The Void” beckons, Scandinavian roots shining through like Gold glinting in the dark. Staccato riff breaks batter the brains before a flamboyant solo surfaces, the lightning speed of the sonic waves such that you can’t take it all in on the first few spins. Instead it takes time for some of the nuances to bleed out of the mix over repeated listens, adding to the longevity of this masterpiece. This is nothing short of a masterwork from a band in their prime! [9/10]

Track Listing

1. Inane Ducam
2. Timeless Despair
3. Dark Isolation
4. Unattained Creation
5. The Void

“Inane Ducam” by Atavistia is out 19th July 2024 and is available over at bandcamp