Atlantean Kodex - The Golden Bough

Atlantean Kodex
The Golden Bough
2010 Cruz Del Sur Music
This one just made it out in enough time to be among the very best releases of 2010. If it hadn't, then it would have ended up on the best of 2011 lists that are yet to come. Even so, I think most (including the majority of metal "journalists") will overlook this album. "The Pnakotic Demos" really only gave us a general idea of what Atlantean Kodex are all about. "The Golden Bough" gives us the bigger picture. While not quite a concept album, the songs do all center on the idea of where our beliefs come from, and is based on the book of the same name by one Sir James Frazer. The short story is that Sir Frazer hypothesized that man's belief system was rooted in magic, which gave way to religion, and has since given way to science. While his theories have been criticized (after all, religion is still very strong today), this album does not strive to defend or attack his work. Instead, Atlantean Kodex have taken the path of "what if?". What if these theories are in fact true? Alright, if that went over your head as it did mine, let's just talk about the music itself instead. The band draw heavily from Manowar's early albums (think of songs like "Battle Hymn," "Secret of Steel" or "Bridge of Death"), as well as from Bathory's "Twilight of the Gods." I think most reviews I've seen mention "Hammerheart" and not "Twilight...", but this album shares the same long, drawn out format of epic metal as heard on "Twilight...". But that's neither here nor there. Atlantean Kodex also walk the line between epic (a term I dislike, as it generally is applied to power metal, which this band certainly is not) and doom metal. Doom, because the songs are all heavy as Hell, and "epic" because well... they're just that. Epic. Huge. Just go listen to them and compare them to the material I previously mentioned by Manowar and Bathory. You'll grasp the concept immediately. Massive sound, long songs, big concepts, and it all comes down to one incredible album that you simply should not miss.