On the 25th day of the 12th month of 2012, the Six-Tongued Hellgoat was summoned to rise from the ashes and bring darkness to this place called POPdose. Join him in his quest.
Ritual Thrust into the Profane Maw of Churning Filth
Album: Atlantean Kodex, The White Goddess (A Grammar Of Poetic Myth)
Label: 20 Buck Spin
Release: October 1, 2013
Genre: Epic Heavy Metal
Rating: 10/10
October 5th, 2010 – almost three years ago now, the Hellgoat’s human handler wrote this about the Atlantean Kodex’s debut LP;
“There really is only one word to describe The Golden Bough — epic.”
Flash forward to the present day, replace the title with The White Goddess and that statement applies again. This five-piece German band lays claim to that word “epic” yet again with their second full length LP and this time may actually take ownership of it for good.
The Golden Bough was this epic masterpiece of power metal, atmosphere and doom with classical touches. The White Goddess is a natural progression from that point, continuing with those musical themes but taking them one step further. The doom is doomier. The atmospheric interludes are more um, atmosphere-y but what really stands out is that the epic moments are supremely epic.
As you know by now, the Hellgoat isn’t a fan of power metal and upon first listen of this album, he was thrown off course by the thought of men with swords standing on mountains playing these tunes. But there still was something so intriguing about The White Goddess that he listened again and again and is actually still listening weeks after that first spin. And every time this record plays, the Hellgoat thrashes around with his out of control tongues spewing burning saliva everywhere.
The White Goddess is an eight track record, with three of those being intros/interludes, leaving five full tunes to excite ears. A natural part of the word “epic” in music is length and those five tunes range from seven-and-a-half to eleven-and-a-half minutes each, led by the second track, “Sol Invictus (with Faith and Fire).” This is easily the most epic of the tunes, with grand choruses, unmatched power riffs and a sound that makes you want to whip out your body armor and recreate a classic battle scene in a desolate forest. “Heresiarch (Thousandfaced Moon)” is really the centerpiece of this album though, combining those grand choruses again with some of the best doom riffs the band has ever laid to tape.
What the Hellgoat has found with The White Goddess is that once you start listening, it’s really difficult to stop. You want to hear where it goes next (and even after listening probably a dozen times, he still wants to hear that). Even if you don’t understand the lyrical concept of the record, you still feel like you’re part of the story as it’s one of those records where you close your eyes and you’re transported to whatever place is being portrayed at that spot in the tune. It’s getting to the point where Atlantean Kodex is stealing the term “epic” for themselves as there is just nothing in recent memory that’s on such a grand scale.
The Hellgoat hesitates to say this after just two full length records but Atlantean Kodex might very well be one of the best bands of this generation. Hop on board the ship now if you haven’t already.
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