ATHEIST - PIECE OF TIME
ONE OF THE GREATEST DEATH/THRASH RECORDS.
After releasing a few demos under the name Ravage the band changed their name and became Atheist. Atheist debuted in 1989 with this record titled Piece of Time. To explain the importance an album like Piece of Time had when it was came out in 1989, we need to go back to 1985 when Watchtower released Energetic Disassembly. It was way more technical, aggressive and progressive than anything heard before it in the realm of metal music. The same can be said about Coroner or Voivod a few years later. Fast forward to 1989 and the bar of technicality and brutality was raised yet again. This time by Atheist and their Piece of Time.
If you're a fan of Chuck Schuldiner's Death, then you certainly need to check out this record because this is kind of the blueprint for an album like Death's Human that came out in 1991. People might have thought that the limits of what was possible was reached when a band like Coroner showed up on the scene, in terms of aggression, speed, technical skills and progressive explorations. But then Atheist showed up and the rest was history.
To my knowledge this is the first time in the history of metal music that a band mixed progressive elements with a death/thrash sound. Atheist even incorporated a few jazzy moments here, but not as much as on their later efforts. This is still very much a death metal record.
So fans of Morbid Angel, Death and Pestilence will certainly find Atheist very enjoyable. Bassist Roger Patterson does some amazing work on the bass here, but unfortunately he passed away in a car accident two years later and he never recorded with the band again, even though he wrote some material for Unquestionable Presence. This guy was certainly one of the greatest bassists in metal when he passed away so that was a huge loss for Atheist.
Roger's bass combined with myriads of bizarre riffs, raspy death metal vocals and some solid drumming makes Piece of Time something out of the ordinary. Atheist will always be remembered as a groundbreaking band that bridged the gap between progressive thrash and death metal. You're obliged to check this one out!
Rating:
| INFO |
Label: Active Year: 1989 Country: U.S.A. Duration: 32:10 Tracks: 9 Genre: Prog/Death/Thrash Reviewer: Ruthless Rating: 4.5/5 | ||
| TRACKS | LINEUP | |
| Kelly Shaefer - Guitars & Vocals Rand Burkey - Guitars Roger Patterson - Bass Steve Flynn - Drums |
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