Atomship - The Crash Of '47

(24 Jan 2011)

I'm starting to get the impression that there is a whole bunch of alternative rock/metal bands who play music that is progressive, but not really. You have the classic Tool, then there is System Of A Down and Mudvayne. That's when referring to the more well-known bands of this type. Atomship's The Crash of '47, though, seems more like Themata, only with a stronger emphasis on ambient and a more explosive drummer.

The albums starts out quite strong and confident with "Day Of Daze", creeping and gaining power with each repetition of a part. You'd think that the next song would frag you, but it doesn't. And that is the biggest flaw I've encountered and re-encountered on this album, which could have otherwise been much, much better. Although every song is strong on its own and although the atmosphere exhibited is incredible, the album as a whole feels very sluggish.

The restraint shown throughout the runtime works very well on at least one level, though. It means that you can take in and enjoy every single detail to its fullest. That's why "Dragonfly" is by far the most memorable song on the first half of the album. The sudden yet perfect transition that is made at the middle of the song is one of the most majestic I've ever heard. It feels like the whole album so far could have been making a crescendo to that one tempo change, ending the opening movement of the album with a bang.

Unfortunately, that's also where TCo47' starts making a steep fall in quallity, hitting rock bottom on "Withered", which completely ruins everything that the release had stood for so far, and only letting it steadily recover on "Time for People".

That's where Atomship's debut begins to show its strengths. The final 4 songs are simply on a level higher than all the other songs on the album so far. The atmospheric touches grow stronger, the overall feel becomes much more oppressive, the lyrics become tasteful, and outright give this band a place in history.

For the first 7 tracks, The Crash of '47 will seem like your run-of the-mill Alternative Metal album with some elements of Tool mixed in to the sound. The last 4 prove you wrong and force you to say sorry for the comparison. Atomship have proven their worth. Atomship will be missed.

Standout tracks:

Dragonfly
Aliens
Whitfield
Friends
Plastic People