
The Wrath Within
(self-financed)
71:57min
The very first thought when I read the band name ATRAMENTUM was to think of ATRAMENTUS, who released the stellar “Stygian” in 2020. Germany’s ATRAMENTUM kind of follow a similar path to ATRAMENTUS, but they closely meander around the sound of their countrymen AHAB. ATRAMENTUM’s “The Wrath Within” is their second full length with a full and formal line-up. They return after four years to deliver a raw, heavy and unforgiving slab of Doom Metal that chills you to your bone. Stunning guitar work, coupled with delicate drumming, that takes you to the heights of agony, whilst trying to comfort your senses in sensuous passages, that gently drift through to comfort the space in between. ‘Living In Dystopia’ is the second track which embraces layers of Black Metal to dictate a relentless approach, whilst holding on to the layers of Doom makes for a good listen. Although the band’s ferocity sounds like acid rain, they come together to produce a stunning track of melodic calmness in between the onslaught. They do this with ease and make it seem simple, ATRAMENTUM has clearly put in thought into their songwriting on this album. I honestly hoped ‘Living In Dystopia’ could’ve extended for a minute or two with some stellar build up of music, but what the band does cleverly is to leave space for interpretation and makes the listener want more of what they just heard. To me the elements of Black Metal just adds further layers to the raw Doom Metal that the band employs to convey their vision, it’s an interesting approach, giving the band a sound that isn’t necessarily very common. Kudos to ATRAMENTUM to leverage this template and make it their own! I do have a couple of points about the album as a whole, the first being the vocals. They’re clearly mixed a notch above the rest of the instruments, they could’ve used a rather judicious space amongst the instruments to add in further width to the sound. Secondly, the album could’ve been shorter. Embracing a fortress-like genre is a double edged sword, the band clearly has excellent ideas. I would’ve perhaps liked a full length and used some of the material as a follow-up EP. Or, maybe I’m just getting old, haha! Nevertheless, ATRAMENTUM have authoritatively marked their stamp on the genre and I’m quite enjoying what I hear. For more information, please visit www.facebook.com/atramentumhamburg or https://atramentum1.bandcamp.com
Vamsi Kanagovi