Germany's own cult gems ATROCITY have returned with another will-crafted work of hating and these necromantic instigators are ready to spill more brutal blood. Clearly haunted by demons of the past, this impure pandemonium is a vivid sign of the "Okkult". This release will leave icy chills at last perpetually running down your spine. For even after the storm has cleared you will realize why this Goth legend has been longing to return to their godless years; the roots of Death Metal they once planted. "Death By Metal" sounds like it could have come off "Todessehnsucht", and the arched aged hallucinations and comatose feel of the opener "Pandemonium" surely injects me with deep subconscious longings for their late '80s demo offerings.

"March Of The Undying" and "Haunted By Demons" both have a mid-90s macabre MASSACRE vibe. I am reminded of albums like "Blut" "Willenskraft", and "Die Liebe". I did not care for "After The Storm" at all, but I have always respected Alex Krull and all that he creates whether it be with ATROCITY or LEAVES' EYES with his lovely wife Liv Kristine. She herself is an amazing individual. I celebrate her hypnotic nightingale voice and I respect how highly educated she is holding a Masters degree in Linguistis. Last I asked her, she is fluent in nine languages. Over the years, my wife and  I have befriended this amazing couple and our son who is the same age as their son Leon, have become close friends, and we strive to hang out every time they tour the US or come to just vacation on Holiday.

I am a big fan and supporter of the Werk 80's albums, and how they dared to cover all those Pop acts, when few would dare even try. I know most peopled were disgusted and discouraged, but I love it. They set the precedent for CRADLE OF FILTH and CHILDREN OF BODOM to do the same. This is why the best song on the album is clearly "When Empires Fall To Dust". Damn! I feel like who I am hearing is the eminence front line approach of ROTTING CHRIST meets the electric fixation of ECHO AND THE BUNNYMEN or the sheepish BAUHAUS! Other bands who now they remind me of would definitely be SEPTICFLESH, with hints of the bombastic mid 90's THERION.

Krull's vocals are brutal, and his keys are toned down and less suggestive. The use of choirs are deployed in moderation like with the aforementioned "When Empires..." and the epic closing piece "La Voisine". With the exception of Thorsten, most of the musicians are new and younger. JB and Joris both come from DR. DOOM - a Death grind act from the Netherlands. Perhaps they were the stimulus which inspired Krull to embrace his Teutonic Death Metal legacy.

The messianic "Masaya" has a Classical flavour, while "Beyond Perpetual Ice" cracks the boundaries of MOONSPELL and their ilk, and lies more in that grey area of description. "Necromancy Divine", has more in common with NIGHTFALL from Greece, then NIGHTWISH. I suppose those days of emulating RAMMSTEIN seem to have faded, and these nonplussed ultrasonic soothsayers seem less inclined to take the lead from LAIBACH, and more concerned with re-establishing their Death Metal heritage. Damn, if this song does not sound like a sequel to "Necropolis"! Although "Satan's Braut" does have a bit of that Goth feel like LACRIMOSA meets FIELDS OF NEPHILIM with some cool soloing and a clean heavy vocal deliverance (if only I knew what the hell he was saying!).

Overall, this is a solid release deliberately embracing nearly three decades of ATROCITY. Fans of just about every evolution of this act will be moved and shaken. So gaze beneath the obscured camouflage and heed the great commandment to rage hard and enjoy this sultry taste of sin.