Artist: Atonement
Country: Sweden
Label: Dying Victims Productions
Format: Demo Tape
Year: 2025
Two years ago the Swedish Black/Thrash Metal band Atonement surprised with their debut album ‘Sadistic Invaders’ released through Dying Victims Productions. Well, “surprised”, not so much with the music itself, as that is basically as regressive as it gets, but it was the sheer energetic power that made ‘Sadistic Invaders’ a very solid start for this young band. And besides, prior that debut album the band went through two demo tapes, of which the first one was reissued on various formats through Helter Skelter Records, so those who are following this genre very closely might not have been surprised at all…
So, surprised or not, I was still very enamoured with ‘Sadistic Invaders’. And so was my colleague who reviewed said album. He didn’t spend too many words on it, but that actually befits the music. This aint the kind of music where you should dwell too much on all the details and subtle changes compared to previous work, if any. Simply put: this is really just the type of stuff that should be played at high volume so that your neighbours can join in the fun.
Having put the volume of your tape deck to 666, Atonement brings you three new tracks that again pays homage to anything that’s great and old. ‘Ripping Death’ is a glorious celebration of fast Black/Thrash Metal in the vein of Merciless, early Nifelheim, Messiah, Possessed, Dark Angel, Protector and the Teutonic Three. It’s really all about the fun of those choppy riffs and the fast pace. Since this is a demo, it sounds a bit rougher and more straightforward than ‘Sadistic Invaders’, with the vocals coming across as particularly aggressive. This rough around the edges approach works just damn fine, as already showcased on the pre-album recordings, so in case you liked those too: you can’t go wrong with ‘Ripping Death’, a demo that’s really living up to its title.
