Dark Tranquility are back with their latest album Atoma and whilst it’s a good album, it does leave a little to be desired at times.
Put simply, Atoma is a bit of a hit-and-miss album, and opening number Encircled is somewhat underwhelming. It doesn’t immediately grab you and isn’t exactly one of the more powerful songs of the album, so it doesn’t give a tremendous impression about what can be expected from the rest of the piece. Thankfully, however, it does pick up a little after here, and third track Forward Momentum is a strong inclusion. There’s a good, powerful drive to it, and it’s certainly aptly titled as it adds a lot of forward momentum to the album! The heavier, more aggressive parts are very meaty, with the wall of sound underneath packing a real punch, and the softer, more melodic sections juxtapose against them well.
The album continues in much the same fashion from there, with some songs shining and featuring that lush melodic death metal sound that the band is known for, but others sound a little lacking in comparison, which results in a somewhat jerky flow to the overall sound of the album as a whole. It’s a shame because I know Dark Tranquility can achieve better than this – but despite this, Atoma is still a decent enough listen and still worth your time to check out.
6.5/10
