SONG REVIEW: Atlas//Below - "Signs & Wonders"
Atlas//Below melds lo-fi and late 2000’s metalcore in “Signs & Wonders”
Written by JD Walker
When a song leads you to believe that it’ll have a certain vibe and completely catches you off guard, that’s how you know you’ve got something special on your hands. Atlas//Below certainly has the element of surprise going for them in their new single “Signs & Wonders”, a song that takes the listener on a journey through multiple phases in quick succession and keeps the experience interesting from start to finish.
The song begins with a somber, trippy instrumental intro driven by a kalimba melody before a droning guitar introduces the absolute heaviness to follow. Once the full band kicks in, the song turns into pure chaos in the best way possible. The song does a great job of juxtaposing the heavy rhythm section with ambient and ethereal lead work, with some sections almost reminiscent of Breakdown of Sanity. The song stays relatively straightforward until a jarring metric modulation on the back half of the song, switching from groovy quarter notes to dotted eighths that trick the listener into believing the tempo has changed when the only adjustment was what subdivision the drummer was playing to. From a drummer’s perspective, this is no small feat to accomplish and completely changes the dynamic of the song.
Atlas//Below combines elements of low-fi and classic metalcore for an overall unique and engaging experience in “Signs & Wonders”. Their material fits in well with the new sound being explored by Oceans Ate Alaska’s “Metamorph” as well as OAA drummer Chris Turner’s solo material. Driven primarily by the rhythm section composed of rhythm guitarist Eric Morgan and drummer Jason Martinez, “Signs & Wonders” packs a punch from the getgo and is absolutely relentless from beginning to end. Lead guitarist Ryan Bansemer added enough flair and ambiance to create an element of depth to the track, and vocalist Gino Lamberti’s gritty unclean delivery creates the perfect contrast to featured vocalist Keito Sato’s soaring cleans.
Atlas//Below are an incredibly talented quartet and “Signs & Wonders” removes any doubt otherwise - the Albuquerque-based group explore some pretty gnarly musical concepts in the song which didn’t detract from the overall composition of the tune or once feel disingenuous or unfaithful to the song. Overall, “Signs & Wonders” is an incredible offering from a young band that has all the potential in the world to be heroes on the progressive metalcore scene.