ELEMENTS

Although ATHEIST was a member of the swarming death metal scene in Florida, it was not just a simple musical destruction. Bands such as CYNIC, NOCTURNUS and ATHEIST tried to widen the boundaries of the genre. The band heavily inspired by MERCYFUL FATE, METALLICA, RUSH, KING CRIMSON and FRANK ZAPPA (as the mainman Kelly Shaefer mentioned in an interview). After the tragical death of the original bass player Roger Patterson the band nearly disbanded but they managed to find Tony Choy who just left CYNIC (who was replaced by a technical assistant in Morrisound Studo, namely Sean Malone, now in GORDIAN KNOT). After the release of their second album, "Unquestionable Presence", Kelly Schaefer started a hard rock band NEUROTICA, and because of the lack of any commercial success, it seemed that the story of ATHEIST ended.

But they had valid contract and the record company forced them to make another album. With a different line-up they had exactly 40 days to write and record a whole album from the beginning to the end without making any demos. The musicianship is incredible as always. In the album "Elements", ATHEIST walks on the thin line between innovation and experimentalism. Songs like Air, Animal and Earth show their terrific songwriting ability touching the borders of death and progressive metal with jazz elements while Samba Briza, Displacement, Fractal Point and See You Again are wonderful jazz-inspired instrumental bridges between the standard songs. Tony Choy is one of the best bass-player ever (now he's in a latin band which worked earlier in a cruise liner on the Caribbean See).

Recommended to any fans of technical progressive metal, but not only for historical reason. If someone is interested in the history of the prog/death forefathers and curious what the term 'death/jazz' means, then this album is for you. "Unquestionable Presence" is the best ATHEIST album, so the rating is

9/10