Italy has a long tradition of producing high quality epic metal bands, and Atlas Pain is no exception to this. With What The Oak Left, the band from Milan have released their first record, and it's something I am quite enthusiastic about.
In their own words, Atlas Pain combine elements from extreme, pagan/folk and symphonic metal with a cinematic approach. In my opinion, Atlas Pain have just taken symphonic metal into the 2010s, and created something that makes me nostalgic of the heydays of Stratovarius while still sounding very fresh, modern, and a little less shallow than our good old symphonic metal.
Atlas Pain are starting out strong, as they recorded at Media Factory studio with Fabrizio Romani (Skylark) and had their album mastered by Mika Jussila (Nightwish, Children Of Bodom) at Finnvox Studios in Helsinki, Finland. These are good people to be working with, which indicates at once the potential of Atlas Pain.
In short, What The Oak Left may be the most refreshing symphonic metal I've heard in a while. It's an enjoyable album, and I'm curious to see how Atlas Pain will evolve as a band.
Tracklist
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The Time And The Muse
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To The Moon
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Bloodstained Sun
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Till The Dawn Comes
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The Storm
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Ironforged
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The Counter Dance
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Annwn's Gate
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From The Lighthouse
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White overcast line
Label: Scarlet Records
https://www.facebook.com/AtlasPain/
Score: 9/10
