By DJ Astrocreep
Having massively found my not so inner prog self in the last couple of years, the opportunity of reviewing this debut from Finnish act Atom Works presented itself and the idea of a concept album – especially one of a progressive manner – is always in with a good chance of catching my attention, so combine the two and it was always likely I’d be interested.
From the off, it’s clear that the musical aim is towards more traditional prog in the main – with a couple of slight exceptions where the heaviness does pick up a touch – with the album feeling like a journey, a clear indication that the concept side has been created very well. ‘The Brother’s Thirst’ is a good indication of the quality and depth of tracks and of the album as a whole – showcasing both the heavier and melodic sides of this release in equal part, with parts of it having the feel of the melodic side of Helloween and the likes.
There is usually a symphonic side to the tracks, at times an almost theatrical feeling that could translate well into a strong visualiser, should the band decide to go down that route. The two sides of this combine well together, creating strong tracks right through the album, with each musician using their instrument to full effect when given the opportunity. There are plenty of technical elements to keep those of such interest into it throughout, while none of the tracks feel like they drag on, in a way that some bands creating a debut release can fall into, let alone a debut release that is also a fully blown concept album!
To summarise, this is a very good debut album, full of catchy riffs, symphonic keys and strong songwriting that drags you along for its journey, willing or not, for the path it wants you to take. It should appeal to people into melodic rock, 70’s style prog rock and the more symphonic side of things, with enough of an old school metal feel at times to appeal to a NWoBHM fan too. Each point they have tried for, they have achieved, adding yet another very strong release to a year that’s already been chock full of them!
- ‘The Life Of Spice’ is out now. You can get your copy HERE.
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