Atlantis, fabled ancient city of legend. A place of beauty and wonders lost to the world aeons ago under the sea when the gods decided they no longer favored her, sunk to the lowest depths so no mortal would ever partake in her magnificence forever more. What treasures would she hide, what secrets of days gone by would line the shelves of her many libraries.
We will never know perhaps, and yet she still haunts the world as rumour, a thing still sought by many and whispered about in darkened rooms full of those who would wish to get their hands on her many wonders. The first to find her would surely be the envy of the modern world. Yet Atlantis eludes us, and we cannot look to her king, the mighty Atlas for answers either, as he has fallen out of favor with us. Nobody speaks to him anymore.
A lonely King and a lost city, a sad tale, and one very befitting of this release by Towards Atlantis Lights. This group of extremely talented musicians deliver us a journey back into the days of old like no other. A lengthy bunch of musings indeed, with the opening Track ‘The Bunker Of Life’ clocking in at a solid half hour. Patience is most certainly required to begin with, but not as much as you may think.
Where Towards Atlantis Lights excel themselves in delivering such an album of immense proportion and infinite beauty is the key to the whole experience. They do not dwell too long in one monotone or linger needlessly over the same structure as the journey unfolds. Every precious moment keeps you moving forward, effortlessly guiding you along their vision with a gentle hand. Like a proud God showing his newly formed creations the many colours of the realm he has created.
Noble and King like. Doom and despair is abundant and yet somehow the whole experience is supremely uplifting. The mind’s eye cannot help but envision the imagery and beauty to which it is being gifted. Gentle and soothing with a deep deep undertone of loss. Enough to bring tears to the hardest of men, but are they tears of sorrow or are we simply weeping at the joy’s of the undiscovered, the lost, the loneliness of places and figures gone way before our time.
A shining beacon, in a dark foreboding ocean filled with the trials and tribulations of the deceased and all of their hopes and dreams. A beautiful tribute done in the most spectacular fashion to both gods and men who no longer share this plane of existence. Loneliness worth seeking to understand that at any given moment a thing of beauty can be cast asunder on a mere whim, and mourned for the rest of time itself.
I am not going to dissect this album like a corpse, nor even bother to mention the talented musicians, because with all due respect it would feel like manhandling one of the great paintings of our time to see if the artist had signed the back, or lifting the statue of David to check for initials for proof of authenticity. This is indeed, a work of art, and there is no need to go too far. One must just absorb it, take it all in and then bring others to bask in its perfection.
Absolutely mesmerizing and awe inspiring. Transcending Obscurity Records prove yet again why they are taking the world by storm. Sit my friends, for their are tales to be told. Head towards those lights, great discoveries await.
Rating – 5/5
The Metal Wanderlust 