ATROCITY has been awfully quiet since their last album, released in 2013. That's because they've been plotting something. What that is, is their latest EP "Masters of Darkness", released this month. "Der tod ist ein meister aus Deutschland!" growls lead vocalist Alexander Krull in the opening of the imposing title track. "Masters of Darkness" erupts and surrounds you with all the furious sounds of a Death Metal-themed Inferno, including a lamenting choir to serenade your descent into chaos. A sound that's more reminiscent of RAMMSTEIN than OBITUARY, ATROCITY has never been afraid to stray away from genre limits, playing around with Techno/Industrial and operatic vocals in the past, going back to their albums "Gemini" and "Atlantis", and even further. These days they are a bit far removed from their first releases like "Hallucinations" and "Todessehnsucht", back when they were all about the Traditional Death Metal sound. That's not exactly a bad thing. The Symphonic touches they've adopted add a whole unique layer of damnation to the tracks.

This EP echoes their last release "Okkult", where the band is much more in touch with their roots, but doesn't abandon the Symphonic touches. The second track off "Masters of Darkness", "Menschenschlachthaus" is just as fun to say as it is to sing along to. The choir unfortunately feels redundant in this track, repeating Krull's exclamations of "Menschenschlachthaus!" during the chorus. However, the choir manages to win me over during "Devil's Covenant".

ATROCITY didn't lie silent for four years just to release a simple EP. They just wanted us to have a taste of what is really to come. For 2018, they are hoping to release the true fruits of their labor with their sequel to "Okkult", "Okkult II". Eventually, the band plans to release a third "Okkult" to round out the trilogy.