Atheist - Unquestionable Presence

[invulse]

Atheist's Unquestionable Presence is not only one of the most intriguing death metal albums ever made its also one of the best. Boasting Atheist's own self proclaimed genre "Death-Jazz", UP is simply amazing. No album since its release in 1991 has been so ambitious in its concept and so successful in its implimentation. UP is airtight in its construction, with not one waisted note in the entire album, but its greatest acheivement is through the entire album no song seems even the least bit repetitive. Each song on the album posseses its own unique qualities, but still restrains to Atheists core style. The sound created by this album will continue to stun metalheads today, with its complex arrangements/time signatures, precise riffing and solos, those willing to give it a listen will not be dissapointed. There are no words that can describe Unquestionable Presence only a close listen and an open mind can truely understand this albums greatness.

 

[anonymousnick2001]

I think it has meritorious aspects, but I also believe that the album fails to capitalize on the true limits of a death-jazz context. Coupled with the generally flat and weak vocals, the album falls short of the endless lauding by fans and critics.

It is far better than Piece of Time if you ask me.

 

[no country for old wainds]

I wouldn't say it's far better. It is better though.

 

[thespectralsorrows]

The only Atheist CD I really like is Elements, Unquestionable Presence was generic sounding to me. Sure I tried to get into, but after 15 listens I still didn't give a damn about it. Definitely one of the most overrated albums in metal history is the second Atheist.

 

[no country for old wainds]

Elements is gay. The compositional coherence of their earlier stuff is replaced by the noodly pretense that's common in most jazz.

 

[anonymousnick2001]

Yet almost all jazz eclipses it entirely.

Sometimes I wish Atheist had incorporated more of jazz's freewheeling aspects and instrumentation without sacrificing conciseness and 'coherence,' as you call it.

In the long run, they're a meh band to me anyway.

 

[andthepsychicsaw]

Atheists albums are great. Very tricky and complicated music. One of my top 5 favorite bands.

 

[Demiurge]

atheist is more like stravinsky. they're better than any jazz musician whom has ever existed. steve flynn is the greatest metal drummer to ever live.

those vocals are anything but weak, unlike typical grunting, they are part of the music, as opposed to being superimposed over it.

 

[anonymousnick2001]

atheist is more like stravinsky. they're better than any jazz musician whom has ever existed. steve flynn is the greatest metal drummer to ever live.

I don't know where to start. Your comparing Atheist to Stravinsky, the hilarious claim that they're better than any jazz musician that ever existed, or calling their drummer the greatest to ever live. Those clearly false and rather lofty claims are begging for disapproval, but I think it'll just be more prudent to accept them as your opinions.

UP was above average at best.

 

[Demiurge]

it's a limited comparison, better than castigating the band for not being "jazz fusion" enough, which wasn't the intention of their early albums at all.

jazz is basically a recombinant form, meh.... it's an application of ideas that i find to be better developed and more coherently expressed by others, definitely, they've been given a more expansive presentation in the past. also, the musicians do things that strike a listener as "cool" but don't make sense in their context too often. it gets real tedious for me after a while.

 

[anonymousnick2001]

jazz is basically a recombinant form, meh.... it's an application of ideas that i find to be better developed and more coherently expressed by others, definitely, they've been given a more expansive presentation in the past. also, the musicians do things that strike a listener as "cool" but don't make sense in their context too often. it gets real tedious for me after a while.

That's fair. I generally listen to classic jazz from the 20's and 60's. It's a music genre like every other. There are excellent and average musicians. John Coltrane was occasionally critcized as being 'anti-music' simply due to his experiments in stretching tonality or doing 'too much' noodling in a modal jazz song (WTF?!). In reality, all of his solos, regardless of chromaticism or apparent randomness, had a clear basis in the tonal center of the piece at hand. He was utterly amazing. Only the retards would toss in meaningless wankery, which would interestingly sound very cool to the casual fans and absolutely horrendous to the real musicians who knew there was no requirement.

As for Atheist, they've always been heralded as death-jazz, but I rarely heard any jazz in their style. Not even on Elements.

 

[AsModEe]

I only listened to Piece of Time.. it was really good but I didn't hear so many jazz elements in it.