UNQUESTIONABLE PRESENCE

After the tragical death of original bassist Roger Patterson, a Cuban player from a local band called Cynic joined them, namely Tony Choy. Six songs out of the eight had been co-written by Patterson but Choy did a good job with the unfamiliar songs.

"Unquestionable Presence" is without any doubt one of the best pieces of music I have ever heard in my life. The music is simply mindblowing. Each song is a heavy, complex masterpiece that will make your jaw drop every single time. This is the best Atheist album without any doubt, and quite possibly one of the best albums ever in the history of progmetal.

Each song on this album is a celebration of the marriage between death/prog metal and pure jazz: great riffs, alternating between harmonized twin guitar parts and thrash/speed agression. The vocals are primitive screams sounding like a snarling dog most of the time (hearing the vocals one can hardly believe that Kelly Shaefer nearly joined Velvet Revolver). Forget all the debates about pointless technicality with no direction, because this is technical music that really takes you somewhere without the over-the-top solos and continuous double-bass thundering. What you can find here are very complex arrangements, fluid solos, technical drumming and vivid bass.

The opener (Mother Man) is one of the best example what death/jazz means. One can imagine a real mad jazz band playing this song and the whole album as well. This album is not for everyone, but it is a must for fans of technical metal.

Mother Man (10/10), Unquestionable Presence (10/10), Your Life's Retribution (9/10), Enthralled In Essence (10/10), An Incarnation's Dream (10/10), The Formative Years (10/10), Brains (9/10), And The Psychic Saw (10/10)

100/100