| The other path (Demo) | 2002 | No Label |
Ataraxie represents the most brutal, relentless and unforgiving side of the doom spectrum. The band is clearly not only influenced by bands belonging to the doom scene like early My Dying Bride ('As the flower withers' era) and diSEMBOWELMENT, but the influence of other deities of the extreme metal genre like Morbid Angel and Dissection is also strong.
Much like death/grind/doom pioneers diSEMBOWELMENT, Ataraxie understands the art of combining heavenly, painstakingly slow doom with hateful, brutal blastbeat accelerations. The frequent use of twin guitar harmonies and melodic solo's, reminding of the great Dissection, is clearly an asset of this band. Add to all this the low, steady grunts and hateful screams of bassist/vocalist Jonathan Thery, the technical, furious guitar riffs and high-quality drumming and you can only agree with me that Ataraxie is a force to be reckoned with.
This lengthy demo includes also three additional live tracks. However beware: although the sound quality of those tracks is far from terrible, they give only a very limited impression of the fury, power and energy this band is able to unleash live! Furthermore, as much as I am satisfied with the recording quality of this demo (especially given the circumstances), I hope to see Ataraxie signed soon. Hopefully, a contract with a label shall give them the opportunity to make use of a satisfying recording budget, which shall enable them to compete with the likes of diSEMBOWELMENT, Dusk and Ceremonium for the title of heaviest doom band around! In the meanwhile I would like to encourage all fans of the aforementioned bands to order this demo by sending an email to Webmaster@ataraxie.fr.st.
1. The other path
2. My last breath
3. Behind the mask
4. Eternal Sufferings
5. The isle of the dead
6. Unholy prayer
7. Alone in my coffin
8. The other path (live)
9. From agony to eternity (live)
10. The isle of the dead (live)
Approx. 67 minutes
| Live Doomination (CD-R) | 2003 | No Label |
The songs on this album (except for the last one, which I will talk about later on) are from the first release of the band and are brought with the conviction of a band who truly love what they're doing. For the most part this is very slow to mid-tempo doom/death, with a large role for the lead guitar. Now and then the band's influences (My Dying Bride and diSEMBOWELMENT in particular) shine through a bit too much for my liking, but in general this is very enjoyable music for those who dig this subgenre.
The last song is an exception to this, as it is a cover of the funeral doom classic by cult group Worship. This is a very slow and long song (almost half as fast as the original) which is driven by the soul-tearing lead melody. It is difficult for me to judge this one, as the original is one of my favourite songs in doom metal overall. Nevertheless, I feel that Ataraxie pull this cover off very well, although they didn't really add any touches of their own, except for the even slower tempo. The only thing that is slightly different is the long solo at the end of the song, and sadly, it is the part of the cover I like the least. It is now done by two guitars, instead of one, and it lacks the intensity of the original, which was heightened by the fact that it was only one guitar, and thus drew more attention to its one single melody. This is still a very, very good song, though.
Wrapping up, this release is nice, but only interesting to those who are really deep into doom/death, especially due to the somewhat mediocre sound quality. Fans of Worship might also be interested in hearing the band covered so quickly after the original was released. Sadly, this release is probably not available anywhere, except through second-hand or electronic channels.
1. Funeral Hymn
2. The Other Path
3. The Other Path pt II
4. The Isle Of The Dead
5. From Agony To Eternity
Bonus track:
6. Whispering Gloom
Approx. 50 minutes