UK Progressive Thrash/Death Metal trio Atom Smasher, named after a track from UK Atmospheric Sludge Metal outfit Bossk’s 2016 album Audio Noir, recently released their highly anticipated debut album Blindsided. Although it’s taken quite a few months longer than expected, it’s definitely well worth the wait.
Atom Smasher – Blindsided (Independent Release)
Release Date: Out Now
Words: Jools Green
It’s only five tracks but spans a massive forty-two minutes duration because “obnoxiously long songs” (their words, not mine) is their raison d’être.
Atom Smasher also have a very well-developed sense of humour, one of the most endearing facts about the band, and they make good use of these long time spans, delivering very complex and unpredictable tracks that make for a hugely engaging listen.
The members, Mike, Connor and Jason, have a joint affinity for Metallica, Gojira and Lamb Of God, which has been a major influence. Although these influences are subtly infused, there’s also a definite Bossk “fuzz and pound” worked into the sound. Not surprising, given their name and the fact that Conor and Mike love Bossk, a band who are also not shy about long tracks either.
So you might find your initial expectations of this Progressive Thrash/Death Metal sound challenged.
Atom Smasher are full of surprises, but when it comes to the subject of lyrics, space is pretty much the main source of inspiration, a popular subject with the two lyricists Mike and Jason.
Blindsided opens on Dead Inside, the shortest piece at a mere five and a half minutes duration. The first thing that hits you is the groove. It’s catchy as hell and balances well with the raw vocal screams. The pace gathers to a brutal driving onslaught, delivering waves of riffs and drum battery. The groove returns, followed by a mid-point drop to just fuzzy bass lines, rebuilding to a dark, sinister groove, the vocals becoming more expansive with deep protractions. A complexly engaging piece.
Left To Burn delivers a strong thrashy leaning. Think groovy but with a touch of Slayer. Then, three minutes in, it starts to deliver surprises, turning reflective, gradually building in pace but working in old-school elements across this slower segment.
These include flamboyant drum flourishes and groovily indulgent guitar segments, but all the time, you have that lovely fuzzy undercurrent. The pace gradually builds back up, and the acidic screams of “left to burn” cut a raw, jagged swathe through the riffing, ending on a massively protracted scream. An attention-grabbing piece.
The Rush is a filthy fuzzy driver that runs out of control. Well, it is about space cocaine. [whatever that is … cocaine with zero gravity? Who knows, Ed]) It also has some insanely complex but groove-rich elements that complement the raw vocal screams, dropping back just after midway to a reflective pace with sultry but rugged spoken elements. As the pace picks up, the expansive vocal protractions reach impressive levels. Then, just when you think it’s finished, it attacks you with one final onslaught. A great piece.
A slightly different version of the next track was released as a single in January, Thunberg and Lightning. Both versions are excellent, and it’s always a crowd-pleaser live. As the title suggests is about Greta Thunberg, but this is not the Greta, although it does have a Greta soundbite midway through during the reflective part of the track.
This is a “pissed off space Greta,” saviour of the universe? You will have to listen and find out. It’s a thrashy driver with plenty of punch to the delivery. It has that signature Atom Smasher complexity to the construct and is delightfully fuzzy and filthy as it builds back out of the reflective segment with some dark tremolo picking to add a bit extra to their cosmic mix.
The final piece and title track, Blindsided, epitomises what Atom Smasher are renowned for. In their own words, I quote, “obnoxiously long songs.”
At almost thirteen and a half minutes duration, it’s long. Longer than a Taylor Swift song [another piece of Atom Smasher humour]. Although, from a listening perspective, it is definitely not obnoxious.
In fact, it’s a rather chunky, groovy and fuzzy up-tempo driver. Like their other pieces, it’s complex in both construct and direction shifting with possibly the best vocal protection of the album.
Because of the massive duration, there are several sections to the track, so it takes you on a complex winding journey. It shows you a new aural vista with every turn, including a swathe of punchy leadwork that bursts forth just before the ten minute mark. The building wave of militaristic drum battery towards the close really builds on the depth and impact of the track .
Blindsided is out now, currently just on Spotify and YouTube but will hopefully manifest as a CD or digital purchase in the future.
If you like this, the even better news is that a new EP is planned later in the year which will include two new tracks, the live favourites Unleash and Virus, as well as two more new tracks.
You can hear Atom Smasher’s Blindsided on Spotify here.
