Atomic Symphony – Nemesis

This is a somewhat bittersweet moment. Atomic Symphony made a striking impression on me with their release “Hybris“, just one year ago. But unfortunately, with the release of “Nemesis“, the group also announces their disbandment. It’s a pity for sure, especially when you hear the music they’ve been creating, but one can’t dwell on such things, so instead, I’d rather enjoy what they already gave us, and wish them all the best! So, since this is their final offering, let’s make it count!

“Nemesis” comes as a follow-up to “Hybris”, so it makes sense that it’d be similar in sound. That means we’re getting a classic progressive metal sound à la Dream Theater with beefy riffs, tons of groove, epic vibes and technically challenging moments by the truckgallon. Among all the varieties of djenty, core-ish modern prog, it’s a feast for the old-schoolers to see a band that still stays true to the classic progressive metal approach. And before I start sounding like an old f***, I wish to inform you that I am 24, and a big fan of many such djenty bands. But Atomic Symphony pulls at my heartstrings in a different, slightly nostalgic way, reminding me of the first times I heard Dream Theater and Symphony X. They know to honor the greats but they also know to stay true to themselves. While the influences are unmistakable, Atomic Symphony uses the same toolkit as the legends, to get their own emotional experience and identity across.

Atomic Symphony – Phoenix

The band members’ individual performances are all worthy of praise. The guitar riffs are heavy and groovy but don’t shy away from complexity, creating a cascade of infectious rhythms linked together by trippy, odd-timed sections that have the listener constantly alternating between headbanging and strangely satisfying cognitive dissonance. The drum parts also work wonders in maintaining the barrage of shapeshifting riffage on track, as each rhythm change is beautifully linked through cleverly written transitions. Marc Friedrich‘s performance shows no shortage of fast, technical parts like galloping double bass and road trips across the snare or toms, but he also knows when it’s right to just sink into a groove and stick with it. Thus’ many parts end up sounding catchy rather than boring or clinical. Furthermore, if ever an atmospheric section shows up, (and we’re bound to get a fair bit of those from this band) he can adapt the intensity of his playing to a gentle groove with a high focus on flowery details. Thomas Spoegler‘s bass parts are also punchy and gnarly to match the drum and riffage. While the wall of distorted guitar may hide the bass parts at times, they tend to shine through more clearly through the sliced or trippy rhythmic moments, where power is traded for agility.

With that, a solid progressive metal groundwork is set. Then it’s time to coat it in melody and atmosphere. The emotion of the songs drives the melodic component, which is often delivered by the keyboard parts. Keys alternate between swirling, alert melodies to satisfy the fast energetic moments, and big open chords for the epic parts. Once again we see an alternation between force and velocity that keeps the music interesting. Keyboardist Carlo Beltrame also switches between different keyboard tones, from clear piano (often used for intros) to lush string sections and to synth or organ sounds for the lead melodies. The mix of different keyboard effects brings more color and vibrant energy to the album, giving each musical scene a different tone and texture.

On the melodic end, we must also talk about solos. Roberto Barlocci‘s approach to guitar leads is either techy and chaotic as can be seen in ‘NEMESIS I: Awakening’ or open, bendy and emotional (see ‘Enslaved’). I find it particularly satisfying when the crazy technical display of sweeps and shredding is placed over a slightly slower, instrumental groundwork to create some extra contrast (‘Last of Your Kind’).

The vocal performance is also stellar. Jasmin Baggenstos impresses not only through her impressive range, both towards high and low notes, but also through the incredible volume and power in her voice. She’s certainly a match for the chunky riff sound and fat, punchy drum kicks. And she gets the emotion across in full force as well. Making use of deeply introspective lyrics, she’s got proper dark poetry to work with, which allows her to become a total drama queen in the best way possible. The vocal parts can be fiercely confrontational as well as confused, lost, sorrowful or melancholic. Moments of calm also get their space, allowing the energy and drama to dissipate, for the listener to draw a breath.

To put all that talent together into a cohesive flow of music, the band uses excellent songwriting skills, knowing when to tilt towards standard song structures with choruses (‘Phoenix’, ‘Last of Your Kind’) and when to go for long, evolutionary approaches with a sense of narrative, as we see on the 9-minute long ‘Nemesis I’ and ‘Nemesis II’.

Despite only 5 tracks summing less than 40 minutes of run-time, “Nemesis” comes across as a convincing progressive metal effort that takes the listener on a complex emotional journey. And when put into perspective as a continuation to “Hybris”, it forms an even bigger picture that I fully recommend diving into.

Track List:

1. NEMESIS II: Awakening (09:13)
2. Enslaved (07:01)
3. Phoenix (05:24)
4. NEMESIS II: Arrival (09:37
5. Last of Your Kind (04:39)