ATLANTEAN KODEX "The Course Of Empire" CD New arrivals
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Six years may have passed in the mortal realm since 2013’s The White Goddess, but very little has changed in the world of Atlantean Kodex. The Bavarians’ third full-length album is right in line with they’ve released thus far, offering the same post-Solstice brand of doomy epic heavy metal. Crunchy, lo-fi guitar gallops are contrasted by tenor vocals, climbing harmonies, and occasional acoustics with individual songs being driven by drawn-out tempos and a wistfully antiquated aesthetic. But while the Atlantean Kodex formula hasn’t changed all that much on The Course of Empire, the band certainly found ways to tweak it to the max.
With The Course of Empire, Atlantean Kodex effectively customizes an already astounding formula. The album doesn’t differ too much from The White Goddess or 2010s The Golden Bough on the surface, but the easygoing song flow makes for a more cohesive listen and the darker, more aggressive elements give it a distinct flavor. This could’ve been a stagnant retread, especially with the years between efforts, but the band clearly used that time to make the best album they possibly could. Atlantean Kodex is one of the greatest epic metal bands around and The Course of Empire is their magnum opus thus far.
