Atlas Entity – Beneath the Cosmic Silence

Band: Atlas Entity
Title: Beneath the Cosmic Silence
Label: Independent 
Release date: 14 June 2019
Country: USA
Format reviewed: High-quality Digital Promo

Progressive Melodic Death Metal is the label most fitting to ATLAS ENTITY and their debut album “Beneath the Cosmic Silence”. ATLAS ENTITY (from Tampa, FL) was formed in June 2014 by Alex Gallegos. After leaving his previous band Proletariat Combat Machine, he began working on this solo project with his own material. In August of 2015, their debut EP “Enceladus” was released, and this is the debut containing tracks that has been in the making since 2016. ATLAS ENTITY is a one-man band with a session drummer Samus Paulicelli known from Decrepit Birth and his work with Devin Townsend. Alex Gallegos is clearly a very talented musician with a very ambitious vision when creating this album. At first this a bit all over the place, there is a lot happening here; clean vocals, growling vocals, acoustic guitar, DM riffs, hyper speed double bass drum patterns, big heavy “stadium” drums, all this on the album and at times in just one song.

The first track “Adorned in red” starts with a lone clean guitar with a repetitive melody soon joined by an eerie lead guitar, beautifully executed even though the drums could have chosen a different path, but all in all a very atmospheric instrumental to kick the album of. “In the Shadow of the Mountain part 1 & 2” are kind of traditional Melodic Death Metal with harsh vocals paired with choir like clean vocals in layers ticking in about 6 + 5 minutes the two parts is an epic journey through progressive territories who after 11 minutes ends abruptly leaving the listener urging for more.

“Murmurs of Dissent” picks up pace and those double bass drums charges ahead with harsh vocals and great melodic guitars only broken up by an interlude of clean low-key guitar midway. “Visions of Gold” is the most straight-forward track on the album (making it the most forgettable one, because it is) followed by “Windswept” perhaps the strongest of them all. Here ATLAS ENTITY shows great melody, great clean vocals, a haunting grim “choir”, great bassline, toned down drums before some great shredding guitar takes over, only downside on this great track is that it is way too short.

“Scorned by the Snow” breaks over into almost Black Metal territory, not technically more in the way of “feel” or that certain “atmosphere”. Almost fitting to sway into those landscapes of Metal as this artist somehow seemingly effortless can wander wherever he wants on this album.

Last track “Celestial Noise” is finishing this party of an album, in the most fitting way, as it sums up all the elements into one song, the stand out is the clean vocals and the way they interact with the grim ones.

Making a progressive Death Metal album is no small task when you aim this high in terms of complexity and variation all over the Metal spectrum, but “Beneath the Cosmic Silence” tix of almost all the boxes. At first it seemed all over the place, but this is a “grower”, it takes a few spins to get a grip on it, and then it klicks. 8/10 Harald

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