Atomicide – Manifest Of Aversion

Chilean Atomicide are a band that are very active at times and then slow down for a while. The band started in 2003 and worked their way past several short players to their first album in 2013, then released several full-lengths in the years that followed, but after 2017’s ‘Atomic Genocide’, apart from an EP and a split LP, it was quiet again for a while. Now we have the fourth album in our hands, and whether they work fast or not, these Chileans actually always deliver quality.

Right? Basically, yes, but their penultimate release, a split LP with Ascended Dead on Dark Descent Records, was a rather tough pill to swallow. Not so much because of the music, which is actually a constant factor throughout their entire career. The weak and forced vocals on their part of that split LP made it impossible to really appreciate. It reminded me in an unpleasant way of Sinister’s poor later records or the even worse Infinited Hate.

But that deficiency is for the most part remedied on ‘Manifest Of Aversion’, although the album does not yet feature the best vocal performance (it still sounds a bit forced and hoarse), it certainly comes off better here. Much of this can be attributed to a much more in-your-face production that emphasises the “chaos” element of Atomicide more and puts a bit less focus on the vocals. Musically, this is another strong album on which the guitars in particular form a great swirling wall of violent riffs and screaming leads. Add to that the ever-rattling drums and you have a savage and relentless Death Metal record through which a hint of Black Metal brutality is woven. This makes ‘Manifest Of Aversion’ fit seamlessly into today’s Black/Death Metal scene. In doing so, it leaves the band’s somewhat more Death/Thrash-oriented roots ever so slightly further behind.