Short Reviews [Atlas : Empire - 2018 - "The Stratosphere Beneath Our Feet"]

Atlas : Empire are an alt-rock/prog rock trio from Scotland, who to date have released three EP’s and this is their debut full-length album. The first thing one notices is the intensity of the songs, there are times when one feels as if one is being hit with a wave of sound, and that the breakers are right overhead, and the listener is going to be washed away. Even when the band slows it down and becomes calmer and more restrained one knows the force is just going to come back with a vengeance and there is no time to rest and relax. This is not a style of music I often listen to out of choice, so feel fairly unprepared to review in many ways, but no one can deny that when these guys kick it up they really do come across as incredibly intense and prepared. Coheed and Cambria and Radiohead are immediate names which spring to mind, with plenty of semitones being used to create certain dynamics and reactions. I can’t imagine really listening to this album much for pleasure just because there is so much going on, and I feel drained by the time I have reached the end of it. But there are times when they do dial it down just a slight amount, and all of a sudden it sounds as if they are flying high at a stadium gig, with “It’s All In The Reflexes” being a prime candidate for radio play. It is going to be interesting to see where they go from here, as they could well be on the cusp of becoming very big indeed as this style of music is gaining a lot of attention, and they do it very well indeed.