Ataraxie - Résignés (2019)

Unleashing a dense and punishing Funeral Doom/Death Metal release, today we have Ataraxie and their latest effort “Résignés”. Featuring four tracks and over 80 minutes of music, the listener is in for monumental 20 minute tracks that slowly unravel to unleash heaviness and brutality. Blending old-school Death Metal elements into their Funeral Doom composition, the band creates a very unique and ravaging aural assault.

The album leads with the pummeling “People Swarming, Evil Ruling”, as heavy crunchy riffs lead the way to traditional growls and an overall feeling of helplessness. We particularly enjoy the dreamy interlude that breaks the song in two, just before more brutality is around the corner. Our version of the release continues with the album title track, a song that combines the rawness of Thergothon with the weeping guitars of Mournful Congregation in a crushing package.

The halfway mark in the album starts with the dreamy intro of “Coronation of the Leeches”. This track slowly and painfully (in a good way) builds up to some heavier Death Metal elements paired with a hastier pace. Saving the best for last, “Les affres du trépas” is our favorite track in this release. Slowly drifting back and forth from faster paced melodic sections to the soul-crushing walls of riffs, this song makes the 25-minute duration seem like a couple of seconds.

Overall, “Résignés” is a very powerful release that is full of small details that you only discover the more you listen to it. While some people might argue that 80 minutes might be too much, we have to say that the album feels a lot shorter than this. Ataraxie continues to showcase their talent in crafting pummeling songs that are engaging enough to have a high replay value.

Label: XenoKorp

Release: March 8th, 2019

Genre: Funeral Doom/Death Metal

Country: France