The self-proclaimed Atmospheric Death Metal act AD NEMORI erupt from Germany with a debut full-length. "Akrateia" is nine tracks of atmospheric and melodic Death Metal that is full of diversity and intriguing innovation.

Plenty of Death Metal acts implement atmosphere into the writing process, but Ad Nemori is a band that seems to focus solely on that aspect of their music. "Tellurian Doom" kicks the album off with a melodic main riff that is divided up with plenty of atmosphere provided in the middle section. It sums up the band's sound efficiently, and it is also a great start to the album.

minutes. The track is mainly structured like a Doom Metal song, alternating between a couple of riffs and building on them instead of changing them all together. The majority of the track is based around a smooth atmosphere.

"The Stars My Destination" is the epic conclusion of the album. Having a separate track to introduce and another one to close it, the song is a monstrous finale. The epic melodies and smooth transitions provided on this song are very successful, and the track effortlessly slips by because of its fantastic instrumentation.

This instrumentation is seen on a few previous tracks as well. In fact, the band's songwriting is very good, and this is shown through their ability to effectively transition through a song structure so far from the traditional style of Death Metal. The atmospheric sections evoke Atmospheric Black Metal at times, and the tracks are structured like Doom Metal with Death Metal riffing sections thrown in for good measure. "Above the Tide" is a perfect example of this.

Ad Nemori released a very well-done debut. It's nothing extraordinary, as the riffing is nothing noteworthy, but the songwriting and original ideas are both very present. Multiple sections of the music throughout the record show symphonic elements and keyboards in the form of atmosphere, not as a supportive instrument, making it innovative for Melodic Death Metal. As a whole, this record is nicely structured and very nicely executed.