Shattered is a new technical death metal
band from Germany that is about to unleash their debut full-length “New
Atlantis” to the world. Make no mistake, this album shreds. If you are a fan of
technical death metal that falls right in the middle between the two extremes
of Atheist and Brain Drill, this album will appeal to you. “New Atlantis” isn’t
quite as unique or thought-provoking as the former band, but they also dial it
down a bit compared to the latter band. For example, they have actual riffs
rather than non-stop sweeping.
Where Shattered does mirror Brain Drill is
that the drumming is incredibly intense. There is a lot of blasting, and though
it isn’t the fastest I’ve heard, it is definitely a pretty impressive display
of stamina. Likewise, the guitar and bass playing is beyond top-notch. While
that is true of every band in the scene, Shattered is right up there with any
of the others I’ve heard. And that really is both the good thing and the band
thing about this record: it’s no different from a lot of other technical death
metal albums. It has some cool moments, particularly when the bass makes an
impact (such as the bass solos on “Ignite The Dawnshard” or "The Fall of Hyperion"), but is ultimately
another very precise and solid sounding technical death metal album. Fans of
the subgenre will naturally be drawn towards the band, but for the rest of us,
the album won’t be a year-end list topper.
With that said, Shattered does do a lot
right. The production, while quite clean and easy to understand, is not as
crystal clear as a lot of bands in this genre. It also doesn’t seem to be too
loud, instead striking the right balance between older and newer death metal. Another
area where Shattered excels is in the vocal department. As with the rest of the
members, their growler is clearly quite skilled, but what makes him stand above
the rest of the crowd is that he enunciates very well and it isn’t difficult to
pick up on a lot of the lyrics. The final thing I really dug about this album
is that the feeling of each song changes considerably throughout the track.
This is primarily driven by the drums; while the blasting does exist, there are
also sections that are more focused on double bass, or even tamer, spacier
sections where the drums let the other instruments shine. These may seem like
small things, but they have a big impact on the quality of the record. Overall,
“New Atlantis” is an incredibly competent technical death metal album, and
there isn’t much more fans of the genre could ask for.
Highlights
All of it
Final Rating
3.75/5 or 75%.
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