Maximum Metal Rating Legend

Reaper An Atheist Monument Company: Massacre Release: 2014 Genre: Power Reviewer: Greg Watson

Fun-filled power metal romp

Not knowing much about these Germans, I took to the internet to find out what I could about them. Much to my shock and amazement, I found out the band has been around for well over 20 years! This is only their fifth album and the first released since 1996, which is probably why I haven't heard of this band before. That is one helluva gap from album to album.

'An Atheist Monument' is an album that proves that you don't have to continually crank out albums to still deliver quality metal. This is a fun-filled power metal romp to pump your fists to. "Realms of Chaos" proves to be the perfect thrashing opener. As the album carries onward, the band's pace doesn't slow up and you would never have known that it had been almost 20 years between albums. Showing that there's no rust, the guitars are melodic, aggressive and dynamic with riffs that are well-crafted and hook-heavy. Album highlight is the closing track "La Tristesse", with very heavy Sabbath influence that permeates throughout the whole song with some eerie choral backing sprinkled in. The vocals on the album sound similar to Chris Boltendahl (Grave Digger), lending a certain rawness to the album that keeps things coarse.

The album production is quite solid with a few minor dings with guitar tone and muffled bass on a few tracks. But overall, this album was incredibly impressive and a damn fun listen. 'An Atheist Monument' is an album that will appeal to fans of Grave Digger and good traditional metal overall. Go and give this a listen but don't look too far in to the future because who knows how long it will be before the Reaper rides again!