JUPITER

Atheist has returned to the metal scene after 17 years with possibly the greatest album of their career. With this album the band has removed almost all traces of straight jazz that were most prevalent on Elements, instead reverting to the frenzied, technical style found on Piece of Time. The music still relies on jazzy rhythms and song structures, but with a distinctly metal sound. This album has a cleaner, more modern production than Atheist's preceding albums, and has a much more modern feel to it, having some influence from older material while presenting a new sound (comparable to Meshuggah's obZen or Testament's The Formation of Damnation.)

Jonathan Thompson and Chris Baker's guitar playing is very heavy yet still retains a good sense of melody. The bass is not as audible as it was on previous albums, due to Tony Choy's departure from the band. Steve Flynn's drum work, however, is amazing. He plays right in the pocket throughout the whole album through alternating time signatures and changing tempos. Kelly Shaefer's vocals are not as harsh as on the early albums, yet are still top notch. All of the band members give amazing performances throughout the whole album.

This album represents a significant progression in Atheist's sound towards a technical metal style, and in the process they have created an album with no filler or bad moments of any type. Any fan of progressive metal should definitely check this one out.

Recommended tracks: Second To Sun, Faux King Christ, Third Person