Band:	Atavist
Album:	II: Ruined
Style:	Doom metal, Sludge metal
Release date:	July 2007

01. I
02. II
03. III
04. IV
05. V
06. VI
07. VII: I Hate The Human Race [Grief cover]

Atavist. (noun) - an organism that has the characteristics of a more primitive type of that organism. These characteristics are Black Sabbath, blended with Southern rock, Stoner groove and hints of Death metal, in other words: Sludge. Without doubt one of the most wretched and foul genres out there. Relatively new Sludge as well, as Atavist has only been around since 2004, but once "II: Ruined" caresses the ears, you’d think they have been going for a good fifteen years.

Their sound is an ungodly mingling of the grinding violence of bands such as Corrupted and Grief, with the sickness of Eyehategod to top it off. So yeah, slow motion Doom band with a lot of crushing guitars and droning feedback is what you're about to succumb to. Basically the review could end here, since that description will be more than enough for the Sludge doomsters among the readers to have them run off to the (internet) stores to get this baby, but I would still like to say a couple of things.

One of the main things that make this album so good is their tendency to write very appalling music. Not just through guitars-that-sound-like-basses with super heavy distortion and feedback, but also in the actual songwriting. When their drums speed up and the vocalist spews his hate like a maniac, but the guitars stick to their original slow pace, my head feels like it's going to burst of stubborn, obstinate awesomeness. Stomachs turn and vomit creeps up the oesophagus in this slow motion rollercoaster ride, and it feels goooood.

Besides crushing people like insects, this album also features quieter moments. A lot of rumbling deep drones that come from nowhere and go to nowhere are present, but there is also a piano part that soothes the bleeding ears. To rip them off your head with merciless anger later, obviously, through the tremendous force of the Grief cover "I Hate The Human Race" (only featured on the digipack).

Granted, Atavist does not do something new. But hell, this hybrid of vile genres is not yet spoiled by hundreds and hundreds of copycats so Atavist easily sounds refreshing. Metaphorically speaking, of course.