Album Review: Allt, Ataraxia

By Justin Bauer, OOTB Publications

From Karlskoga, Sweden, Allt offers a melodic blend of progressive metalcore that seeks to subvert genre expectations by pivoting from aggressive metal to softer elements supported by electronics.

Their new album, Ataraxia (Century Media Records)—releasing tomorrow, Friday, July 31–offers a production that is sharpest around the edges while maintaining a density throughout that is accessible to fans of the genre.

My first impression was encompassed by a focus on the sleek and crisp production. The hard parts hit so hard I lose balance when the guitars and drums go there; but, there’s enough gentle room to breathe where dynamics flourish in quieter moments. These atmospheric moments allow for the songs to flow in a way that feels like I’m dealing with a living entity.

The use of ‘lived experience’ as source material isn’t a new approach to the craft of songwriting, but when an artist approaches it with authentic intent, it comes across as genuine.

Exploring thematic elements of ‘personal tragedy, relationships, exhaustion, longing, relapse, clarity, and the moments in between,’ there’s a vulnerability in this collection of songs that has a particular quality that pushes the listener to put it on repeat.

Ataraxia is a name taken from an “ancient concept of inner stillness, but approaches it as something distant, fragile, and often…out of reach.” There’s a lot of longing here, and it feels like a place where most lives are lived.

The record opens with “New Day,” where hard hitting guitars and drums create an atmosphere that melodically carries the verse. The drums and screams tear apart the fabric of our own self-imposed blinding veils. An opening statement wants you to sit with a lingering discomfort.

“Omertá” offers a taste of polished electronics, coupled with the kind of metal so heavy it sinks ships. Lyrics like, “Are sirens calling me? Because it feels like ecstasy,” communicates that all too familiar feeling of self-destruction as something appealing.

“Nevermind” offers a melodic chorus that still has hooks, and more of that lingering discomfort after a significant moment has passed.

No matter how hard Allt turns up the metal aspect, there’s always a melodic undertone to complement the rhythmic patterns that is often a rarity in metal. This is shown most prominently in “Enemy.”

Allt is masterful in their niche, while remaining unshackled by genre. This is the kind of modern metal I crave.

The title track of the record has a slower atmosphere before the heaviest part kicks in the door. The low tempo chorus is both hostile and sentimental in tone.

“Ultraviolence” picks up the tempo and trails you with sonic candy all over this track. The mix of gentle electronics with the denser elements of metal is done with surgical care. This song runs the gauntlet of the album’s emotional range, and I’m left satisfied.

Clean guitars and vocals on “Snowblind” displays a softer beauty that puts an emphasis on melodic flow that is just cool. These vibes juxtaposed with the all other metal moments are so well done.

Another similar feeling is on “High Hopes,” where soft clarity is mixed with machine gun double kicks. Lyrics like, “My head is still a mess but my heart keeps beating” and “I’m alive and I still want this” reminds me of the balancing act we hear in Ataraxia, in that there’s a desperate longing to continue on while the challenges of our lives complicates this.

Ataraxia concludes with an electronic beat with clean guitars over it in “Avalon.” The intricacy and technical work of the harder segments is a perfect ending to an album that asks us to reflect on it as the artists have.

I’ll be spinning this one for the foreseeable future.

Tracklisting

1. New Day

2. Omertà

3. Nevermind

4. Enemy

5. Ataraxia

6. Ultraviolence

7. Snowblind

8. High Hopes

9. Avalon

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