Atrox - Contentum (2000)

Atrox is an tech/extreme progressive band from Norway releasing 5 albums 'till present. This is their second one from 2000 named Contentum. This norwegian band gathered around the impressive female vocalist Monika Edvardsen is full of talent and full of unexpected great ideas. No wonder, because the often comapration between them and The 3rd And The Mortal are fond, because Monika is the sister of Ann Mari the female vocalist of the lastest. Musicaly speaking Atrox can carry you in a great atmospheric and hypnotic journey, all album is full of great and inventiv passages. Toying with avand garde in places Atrox really knew how to make a solid album with brilliant passages and absolutly amazing vocal arrangements. This album is the one you love it or hate it, no middle way, for sure. Contentum is an album where nothing seems planned yet in some magical way it all seems to flow with intensity, and the listner is very pleased in the end, like I am. About the instrumental passages are very carefull done, with a lot of atmospheric keyboards made by Monika, very well interlude with the rest of the instruments, the guitar is heavy in places sounds very doomy, as I like to hear on this kind of music, the drums are aswell very doom in places, only very rare they speed up, but the result is awesome. Now about the hypnotic and haunting voice of Monika and in same time emotional tone, who is one of the best I ever heared on this kind of music, very talented girl, with an impressive range, from falsetto moments,, theatrical up and downs and above all some jaw dropping high pitched vocals, sometimes she remind me in places of her sister from The 3rd And The Mortal and even of Diamanda Galas, but not a copy of both for sure.I tell you, you won't listen every day such complex voice and such powerfull combinations of operatic and chaotic vocals. All pieces are excellent, specially the second track Unsummoned, this is the perfect example how must sound this genre in this decade, excellent pieces with atmospheric keyboards and doomy guitars, Letters To Earth and Gather in Me no More, the rest are also brilliant. I will give 4 stars, one of the best albums in this subgenre and one of the best from Scandinavia and Europe aswell, recommended for sure. Imagine that you combine the progressive elements of Dream Theater for ex with the doomy atmosphere of My Dying Bride and you got Atrox. ~Progarchives

Track listing
01. Sultry (6:12)
02. Unsummoned (6:45)
03. Lizard Dance (7:12)
04. Panta Rei / Gather In Me No More (10:56)
05. Ignoramus (4:00)
06. Letters To Earth (6:16)
07. Serenity (5:47)
08. Homage (5:37)
09. What Crawls Underneath (7:39)
10. Torture (1:26)
11. Outro (3:11)
~ (65:01)

Personnel
- Monika Edvardsen / vocals and keyboards
- Eivind Fjoseide / guitar andd samples
- Rune Sørgård / guitar and samples
- Hingst Hirrbel / bass
- Tor Arne / drums



Thx to hexonut