Atrocity - After The Storm (2010) - An improvement without big highlights - 67% (31/05/12)

Honestly said, after the sequel of the "Werk 80" output, the world didn't need a sequel of the mediocre "Calling The Rain" release and one feels that the band is somewhat running low and repeating itself after so many changes of style and ideas they've had in their early years.

To my surprise, this new release sounds much better than I expected. Alexander and Yasmin Krull still can't sing very well and the ethnic "hey ya, hey ya hey" sing alongs still sound completely bland. Musically, the band surely improved. The tracks are more thought out and diversified and build up some meditative new age atmosphere that fits to the natural topics.

The introduction "A New Arrival" is a quiet but very gripping track that leads into the charming and very catchy "Call Of Yesteryear" that would have been a great highlight on "Calling The Rain". The band focusses ons ome more complex structures, gives more space to folk instruments and apeasing atmospheres as in "Silvan Spirit" or "Transilvania" that are offer an enjoyable and relaxing listening experience.

The new instrumental tracks are without a doubt more engaged than those on the precedessor. They work very well here. Another good point is that the purely instrumental tracks don't have the improved but still somewhat faceless vocals of the two singers. At least, I hear a certain effort and this records seems less spontaneous and made in a hurry than “Calling The Rain”. Maybe the abnd should have even spent more time on this release to make it more colourful and diversified.

An outstanding song is without a doubt "Black Mountain", that mixes a heavier note with brutal male vocals to the spiritual folk tones and sounds like a softer version of what the band usually played when they made their death metal influenced records. The band should have headed for more combinations of these two worlds on this record as it works quite well. The band missed the occasions and finally created a fairly better "Calling The Rain" sequel that has a very good flow but remains without highlights or big surprises apart of “Call Of Yesteryear” and “Black Mountain”.

The record is easy to digest and works well as a very harmonic and inspiring background music. There are still better combinations of rock and metal music with ethnic folk sounds but I give this record a few spins from time to time and see it as a big improvement from the first release. Nevertheless, the chapter should now be closed and the band should continue with something new and try to get back on track.