helterskelter.ca

ATHEIST
more ATHEIST.
way more Helter Skelter.

August 30, 1991 - 2021: 30 years of: Unquestionable Presence.

Death-jazz-funk ...W-T-F !?!?

Once in a blue-moon, we get an out-of-the-box band that it simply cannot be put into words. Let's go 360°: take some of the best thrashmetal backbone riffing, a tight deathmetal production, a strong jazz-vibe with a funk-flair, all of this performed by virtuoso Floridian metal-hippies. Hybrid and hyperactive, this is the real thing. A progressive aggression in an aggressive-progressive sonic individual thought pattern: FAITH NO MORE meets DEATH.

Frenetic time-signatures and free-style flair, a full blown 4:33sec assault on the senses as "Mother Man" kicks in motion. Lethal leads, fretless bass and screechy vocals ...and this just the opening track.

More jazz is infused on the adventurous title-track. Drummer Steve Flynn is WW3 behind the kit. Mean muscle-metal is displayed on the fuming "Enthralled In Essence" and the high-paced cadence of "And The Psychic Saw" breaks down in half in an off-set ingenious funk mid-part. Your fate, your track, "Your Life's Retribution" stings and attacks in a merciful way. Pure ravage !

Following the recent tragic passing of bassist Roger Patterson, the studio-duties were handled by all-star player Tony Choy from CYNIC and PESTILENCE and on tour, by the masterful hands of Darren McFarland. Witnessing them in the live environment in early-92, I can say that every note is clearly performed and dangerously delivered.

! Extra geekness alert !
Notice that guitarist Rand Burkey play his guitar with a reversed string-gauge set: top to bottom.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZCftZOhhMM

Sadly the scene was not there yet, nobody was ready for this. Remember that the 1991-92 era was filled with corpse-grinders and Mephistopheles-worshipers ...no room for urban-deathmetal. Pushing the nail further, a misstep in promotion as having them touring with CANNIBAL CORPSE and GORGUTS.

After the groundbreaking assault of 1990's Piece Of Time CD, they now leap-frog eons ahead into an alternate-metal dimension hatröss. The pristine Unquestionable Presence CD is the ultimate incarnation's dream of progression in extreme-metal, Fathers of the to-be wave of hyper-technical-death bands of the new millennium.

Either you're faithful or not, there's always room for atheists.

RIP Roger Patterson (1968-1991)

*
Unquestionable Presence = full CD
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NolrcYGVJ_A&list=PLArAJlC1y559RiRAl-SWGNGEEoBRHxN6n
Live in 1991 with Roger
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXpXDvOdVzQ
Jamming with Tony Choy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gTOo6DXvhq4
Steve Flynn recording at Morrisound
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tmLkjOi_E_Q
Live in 1992
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NCATGLgtnrc
some guy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pqkR5CdwpqY
some guys
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9gIJH0j5nAA

more ATHEIST:

Death-Metal 1988-92
&

Death-Metal US 1991