Atlantean Kodex The Golden Bough
by Justin Gaines
Staff Writer
After a series of limited release demos and EPs, Germany’s Atlantean Kodex finally unleashed their full-length debut The Golden Bough in late 2011. This is a band and album that resists easy classification. A big part of Atlantean Kodex’s sound is classic doom metal, but there is also a strong cult, ‘80s heavy metal vibe as well as some distinct atmospheric elements. Think early Candlemass, Tony Martin-era Black Sabbath and just a trace of Bathory. It’s a heady mix, and one that offers something new each time you listen to The Golden Bough.
Even as it crosses genre lines, The Golden Bough maintains a consistent feel, and that feel is somber and completely heavy. Thick, doomy guitar riffs abound, as do bleak melodies that feel like the sonic equivalent of an ancient ritual and song structures that probably tread into progressive metal territory at times. Vocalist Markus Becker has a very distinctive voice, and if it’s not as powerful as you typically find in the doom metal genre (he’s no Messiah Marcolin, for example), he still turns in a strong performance that’s key to the album’s character.
The Golden Bough is an album that will make you bang your head (slowly perhaps), but there are plenty of times during this album, especially on the trio of songs that clear the 10-minute mark, where you just stand in awe of the sheer epic nature Atlantean Kodex delivers. That sense of the epic is evident in the lyrics to The Golden Bough as well. It feels like a conceptual album, at least in the sense that there’s a dark fantasy/horror vibe throughout. It’s almost Lovecraftian, full of massive dark deities shifting glaciers deep beneath the ocean. That atmosphere comes across despite the lack of keyboards and with a production job that’s in stark contrast to the shiny, polished finishes most modern metal albums receive.
Atlantean Kodex has generated a fair amount of buzz recently, and after hearing The Golden Bough it’s easy to understand why. This is an album that’s as unique as it is memorable, and it’s one that just about any open-minded metal fan needs to hear. Fans of the Candlemass/Solitude Aeternus style of doom metal will probably get the most out of it, but The Golden Bough has something to offer just about every metal fan.
Genre: Doom Metal
Band:
Markus Becker (v)
Manuel Trummer (g)
Michael Koch (g)
Florian Kreuzer (b)
Mario Weiss (d)
Track Listing:
The Fountain of Nepenthe
Pilgrim
The White Goddess
Temple of Katholic Magick
Disciples of the Iron Crown
Vesperal Hymn
The Atlantean Kodex
A Prophet in the Forest
The Golden Bough
Label: Cruz Del Sur
Website: www.atlanteankodex.de
Hardrock Haven rating: 8.5/10