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Album Reviews : Chronolyth – Atrophy

By on July 7, 2016

4756343Chronolyth have just wrapped up the final stages of a national tour in support of their latest release. Atrophy may be the albums title, but from the very first track it’s clear that the 5 piece from Brisbane are far from a band that’s wasting away.  Before giving this album a spin I’ll put my hand up and confess to never hearing a single track that these guys had released. Even still it didn’t take long for me to be drawn into their brand of modern nelodic death metal.

Melodic death metal is a dying genre in some respects – in todays day and age if a band has growled vocals and melodic riffs it’s very easy for them to be thrown into the ‘metalcore’ basket, but Chronolyth’s sound has a lot more going on than your standard metalcore act. Sure they have a few slower, stop/start riffs and moments that are probably best described as breakdowns but I enjoy that – who doesn’t like a good breakdown when it’s done well?! Generally their riffing is complex and tight and equally influenced by seminal Swedish melodeath bands (In Flames) and modern groove metal (Lamb of God).  It’s a good mix of styles and it’s the sort of mix which should see their music go down a treat with a great number of fans. Regardless of whether you consider yourself to be more interested in traditional metal genres or modern ‘core’ styles there should be plenty for you to enjoy on this release. Nothing Chronolyth is doing on Atrophy is overly unique or ground breaking but its done very well. Playing wise there’s also nothing to knock – the duel guitar work is tight and the drums, bass and vocals are powerful. Clearly the guys have spared no expense on studio or production time and the result is an album they can be very proud of. The production of the album is top shelf – it really does sound every bit as polished as what you’d find on a major label release.

Atrophy is a very enjoyable album, the sort of thing that lends itself to being cracked up loud in your car. Pick yourself up a copy and support a quality Australian release – well worth checking out.

About

Chris is a long time metal enthusiast and advocate for Australian heavy music scene. Chris grew up in Perth, Western Australia and is a past member of modern melodeath act Let's Kill Uncle. Currently residing in London, UK.