CoC : Atrophy - Dédales : Review

Atrophy - _Dédales_
by: Brian Meloon (4 out of 5)

Not to be confused with the late '80s thrash band of the same name, this Atrophy is from France, and this is their second demo. Their style is pretty brutal death metal with progressive riffs and jazzy guitar solos. Mostly they remind me of their countrymates Admortem, but Atrophy's music is a little more advanced. They also remind me at times of Gorguts and Lethargy, and they add a couple jazzy solos that sound like they might be from Pestilence's _Spheres_. They use several riff styles, including standard death metal riffs, angular and quirky individual note lines and harmonized melodic riffs. They mix up the styles quite a bit, but I don't really feel much flow in the songs. Also, there really isn't too much in the way of dynamics, so some parts seem a bit repetitive. The vocals are low and guttural and fit the music, but don't really add much character to it. The playing is very good: technical, but not overly so. The production is a little raw -- which at times gives the music an atonal, completely percussive sound -- but it's adequate for a demo. Overall, this is a promising offering, and if they keep improving as they have been, their next offering will be very impressive. My hope is that they'll continue to expand their songwriting skills and expand the jazzy elements of their music, as this is still a fertile area for exploration. Fans of jazzy and technical death metal should check them out and keep an eye on them for the future.

(Both of Atrophy's demos are available for download at the URL provided.)

Contact: http://atrophy.free.fr

(article published 19/6/2004)