Ataraxy - The Last Mirror Review - Metal Utopia

Band: Ataraxy
Album: The Last Mirror
Label: Me Saco un Ojo Records/Dark Descent Records
Genre: Death metal
Country: Spain
Release Date: June 17th, 2022
For Fans Of: Asphyx, Krypts, Worm

Great death doom can be hard to come by. It’s not every day we get to hear something as masterfully done as the best of Asphyx. I’m pleased to announce that Ataraxy have brought us something to sate your thirsts.

When it come to tasty riffs, Ataraxy start you off with a quality appetizer. The intro track, clocking in at two minutes, actually features an interesting riff to hook the listener. This is a great decision, as uninteresting intro tracks often set an album up for failure. The leading single, “The Bell That Constantly Sounds”, has some crushing riffs with clean chords interspersed, creating a fascinating contrast between atmospherics and aggression. Tremolo riffs in the up-tempo sections topped with mid-pitch howls maintain an energy throughout, while the crushingly slow sections never last too long. Haunting leads overlay the slow sections, adding to the atmosphere and dread.

The promotional single “Decline” is also a stand-out moment, as the track begins on an up-tempo driving riff akin to the best parts of Asphyx, whereas the following track “Visions of Absence” takes the opposite route: clean, atmospheric riffs that build into a crushing crawl. The use of synths toward the middle of the record is reminiscent of the style of death-doom legends disEMBOWELMENT, or even the more recent Worm. Tempo changes throughout this album are dynamic but not disorienting, as the progression from riff to riff is consistently headbang-able. The use of subtle consonance and dissonance on the tracks “Under the Cypress Shadow” and “Silence” add necessary variation to this piece, giving the end of the record a composed, almost classical feeling.

Overall, this impressed me. It’s a complete package full of interesting ideas and compelling writing, and I enjoyed being able to take my time reviewing this record. I ought to go back and listen to Ataraxy’s previous albums, as this standard of quality surely didn’t come from nowhere.

Rating: 7/10

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