Atrocity
Thursday, 18 February 2010 00:00
Country: Germany
After international tour successes, ATROCITY releases ‘Todessehnsucht' in 1992 via Roadrunner Records. They surprise the critics with classical elements and opera singers as guest musicians, to integrate them into their music. This bombastic sound brings ATROCITY in comparison with ‘Wagnerian moments' and they manifest their reputation as a ‘band with extremely complex and well structured song ideas'.
In 1994 ‘Blut' is released through Massacre Records. The Vampire concept is the red line in the entire album, and it enables the listener to feel the dark scenery and fascinating atmosphere of Transylvania. The creative output causes a very positive reaction from the press and fanbase: ATROCITY cannot be put into any stylistic category any more.
Both CDs from 1995, ‘Calling the Rain' and ‘Die Liebe' are logical consequences of this. The song ‘Calling the rain' from the ‘Blut' album was so positively well received that ATROCITY decided to continue in this way. With the vocal support from Yasmin Krull, the band reaches a new atmospheric level. ‘Die Liebe' is a groundbreaking teamwork from ATROCITY with the German Gothic Icon ‘Das Ich'. Both bands arranged songs of the other band to finally interpret them together. It is the first time that two bands from the Metal and the Gothic scene are working together which laid an important foundation stone for the Metal and Gothic crossover. ATROCITY finally managed to become a solid term for fans of Dark Wave and Electro music.
1996: ATROCITY's album ‘Willenskraft' gets the past, present and future right to the point with an arrangement of brutal riffing, hymnlike parts and atmospheric elements. ‘The definition of Kraft & Wille' EP with its Electro and industriallike remixes is a bonus as well as a sequel to the cooperation with Das Ich and it also contains their classic ‘Gottes Tod'. As a complete contrary program you get the ‘The Hunt' EP with brutal songs (including a remake of ‘Blue Blood') which expressed the band's gratitude to the Old School Friends for their long years of support. The limited video box ‘Kraft & Wille' was another present to the loyal fans.
In 1997, ATROCITY decided once again to enter new musical grounds. The intention of ‘Werk 80' was to transform pop-classics of the eighties into ATROCITY songs. The outcome was a wave of rapturousness in the clubs: with songs like ‘Wild Boys', ‘Shout' or ‘Der Mussolini', the fans managed to dance them into the charts.
Before the end of the Millennium, ATROCITY released their first greatest hits album ‘Non Plus Ultra' (1989-1999) with a lot of specials and the premiere of their first live show in the USA.
The following and successful chart album ‘Gemini' (2000 on Motor/Universal) continued where Werk 80 has ended up. Electronic elements, a bilingual textual concept and even more essential structures, without loosing the typical ATROCITY – Originality.
After that, ATROCITY signed a worldwide record deal with Napalm Records and in 2004, the spectacular ‘Atlantis' album was released. According to their tradition, the quintet prefered an entire concept album: ‘Atlantis is a very diversified and atmospheric Metal album', states frontman Alex Krull. ‘It stands for bombastic, epic songs in which heaviness, atmosphere and melody work hand in hand to tell the story of Atlantis and the Golden Age.' ‘Atlantis' stands against stereotypes and goes beyond the scope of Metal and Rock genres. It is a grave mistake to try to categorize the musical framework of ‘Atlantis': ‘Reich of Phenomena' contains symphonic arrangements, blast beats, brutal riffing and rough voices; ‘Superior Race' is a double bass firestorm with flaming emotions and atmospheric arrangements; ‘Enigma' in contrast is a journey to the opera. With the Single ‘Cold Black Days', the album has a real Tune Wedgie. Besides engrossing the listener not only in a musical way, you find on ‘Atlantis' a multimedia section with detailed information about the greatest myth of our time. The band goes on a worldwide tour after the album release. A first DVD release is in preparation.
Post: Francisco Monteiro
