A new album release from Atlas: Empire brings out a combination of really vast alternative and heavy rock that blends in with elements of metal, grunge, and these subtle and cinematic backbones that add this robust yet expansive undertone to the entire record.
The Everything is Temporary album is more of an experience than just an album per se. This is because again, it's got so many layers and it's so massive in terms of both its sonic drive and that vast underbelly so that you're able to just get engulfed in the whole record.
You have beautifully performed guitar work that at times are clean with delay so that the notes sort of drip and float around in the ether of certain tracks, and other times they deliver this sort of underground 90s alternative rock heaviness that makes you think of bands like Hum for example.
I love the energy that this band puts out because it makes you want to go see them live when you listen to the record. They have this sort of electric energy, but again, the songs are almost alive and breathing so the album sways and swells in different sections.
There are chunks of calmness and then explosions of heaviness throughout the record so this adds that element of surprise to an extent and adds even more to the alive and breathing approach of the record itself.
The vocals are a whole different layer of texture and melody that adds to the production and just almost always gives this smooth overtone even when the songs are heavy, they are melodically heavy so the way the vocals are performed is almost haunting to an extent.
Between the way the vocals are done and the heaviness of certain tracks, you get a beautiful balance and throughout the record, everything is performed with an almost graceful approach.
Even songs that are heavy, come through beautifully.
This to me is unique and when I listen to this record, I can tell there was a ton of attention to detail that was put into the recording process. The arrangements but the record also has a ton of heart and I think that's really what grabs at you.
It's got personality, character, and a unique energy that lets you get wrapped up in everything that's happening soundscape-wise.
There are a few different reasons that listening to this entire record is a must. First of all, if you're into spacious and vast heavy and progressive rock, the entire record is going to give you everything that you want and more.
If you listen to one or two tracks alone you may get a little hint of what the rest of the album has to offer but it doesn't give you the full spectrum.
The other reason is because I feel like this is a concept record because songs interconnect with each other in different ways.
Not only do I miss full albums in itself, but to have a concept album is just amazing right now.
I understand that we live in a more single-based society these days but I'm super happy for bands like this because they put out these gigantic records that are a complete escape from whatever you're doing.
This record pulls you away from your surroundings and puts you in a different headspace altogether and that to me is like a gift.
Each element of these songs has a way of pushing the next. The guitars and drums complement the bass and vocals, and the songs clearly come from a band that has a real love for their craft.
When I say this I don't just mean singing or playing guitar, I'm talking about writing songs together that create an atmosphere that the listener can get sucked up into.
This is a huge record and for me, it was an amazing experience because they had songs that have so much range dynamically and a lot of it had that, again, a beautiful combination of edginess, color, vastness, and more.
This record was more intense than I expected but extremely satiating.
I suggest listening to the entire record from beginning to end and it's just about an hour long.
I also suggest doing it with headphones on because it's one of the best ways to listen to a record like this that has different kinds of songwriting and all kinds of great notes and textures that you're able to soak in if you have headphones on.
But don't just take my word for it, give this a spin, you will not soon regret it.
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