By Gruesome Greg
Hailing from Deutschland, Atlantean Kodex takes its cues from all the German greats—the chugging riffage of Accept, the twin-guitar harmonies of Helloween and the vocal melodies of Klaus Meine—and mixes them into a thick, oozing cocktail with the epic doom of Candlemass and While Heaven Wept.
The Golden Bough is six long cuts of pummelling, fist-pumping power doom, with a coupla interludes to bring the running time up over the 65-minute mark. From the slow, drudging “Pilgrim (Through the Ruins of Europa)” to the happy-go-lucky swordsplay of “The Atlantean Kodex (Commanding the Iron Bataillons),” culminating in the epic 15-minute “A Prophet in the Forest (Through Years of Longing),” there is nary a dull moment, nor a dull song title on this record.
With a handful of underground EPs, splits and live albums under their belts, this first full-length studio offering from Atlantean Kodex will have the armour-clad, sword-wielding power-metal warriors and the downtrodden doomsters slow-motion headbanging in unison. A solid debut, indeed!
(Cruz Del Sur)
RATING: 8.5
