ALBUM REVIEW: Tales Of A Pathfinder – Atlas Pain

Throw together Steampunk, cinematic crescendos and straight from the heart pagan folk metal and you will have something along the lines of ATLAS PAIN. This Italian quartet of storytelling metallers wooed many with their previous album What The Oak Left – but will their latest offering satisfy the metal hordes hunger or will it leave them half full, wishing it had been more?

In perhaps the most imaginative intro track this year, ATLAS PAIN envelope their listener into an otherworldly realm of adventure and awe, London never sounded so magical. Without losing a drop of momentum The Moving Empire instantly shifts to top gear with a seamless blend of imagination and musical cunning – fusing storytelling and epic composition with ease. Fuelled by chorus-driven energy, Hagakure’s Way is as exciting and anthemic as it is intricate and furious. Like the beautiful offspring of SKÁLMÖLD and ALESTORM, Ódauðlegur keeps the variation fresh whilst The Great Run leaves you begging for more.

ATLAS PAIN create a mesmerising sound that compliments each and every story they gallantly chant about, not only do they create a soundtrack to fantasy laden tales but they do so with such imaginative and solid delivery its difficult to fault them. Kia Kaha reinforces this musical storybook with bombardments of orchestra infused delight as much as Baba Jaga leads the way with simple yet creatively memorable melody. Shahrazād strongly resembles the musical mastery that bands like EQUILIBRIUM conjure up before Homeland literally pulls you inside the pages of pagan lore with a commendable and invigorating musical exploration. The perfect end to an exceptional display of creativity and musical prowess, the only flaw is that while boasting over ten minutes in length, you still don’t want it to end! After a short yet nevertheless emotive outro the dust takes its time to settle as you want to jump straight back into the scores of fantasy that ATLAS PAIN have so expertly crafted.

Tales of a Pathfinder is as sophisticated as it is witty, imaginative as it is unrelenting and is as much about the story as it is about the music. There is little to fault these pagan bards as this album has exceeded expectations and duly placed ATLAS PAIN much higher in the ranks of pagan metal not just from Italy but around the world. Is it epic? Yes. Is it unique? Yes. Should you give it a listen? Absolutely! For what they describe themselves as, ATLAS PAIN leave no stone unturned and no tale untold. If you enjoy pagan metal and haven’t had the pleasure of listening to these story-masters then it is highly recommended you change that right now.

Rating: 9/10

Tales Of A Pathfinder is out now via Scarlet Records. 

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