ATROPHY
ATROPHY “Asylum”
By Theron Moore
Thirty four years later ATROPHY have returned with new record, “Asylum”. Just saying that seems unreal. The band drops this new platter of ultraviolence March 15 via Massacre Records. This time around Bill Metoyer wasn’t involved, Alex Parra produced the record which was mixed and mastered by Parra at Second Sight Studio. The lineup on “Asylum” is Brian Zimmerman (vocals), Nathan Montalvo (lead guitar), Mark Coglan (rhythm guitar), Josh Gibbs (bass guitar), and Jonas Shutz (drums). The times they are a changin.’
The first two tracks go for the throat – “Punishment For All” and “High Anxiety.” This is how you start a record off proper. – pure, unadulterated, viciousness. Everything that follows is pure gold, I’d even go so far as to say that “Asylum” is the best thrash record I’ve heard in years. The guitar sound and rhythm section are tight, brutal, sharp as a razor. I can’t get over how fresh and invigorated ATROPHY sounds.
I definitely rank “Asylum” right up there with HEATHEN’s last record, even BENEDICTION’s last album as well... it’s that good. I was a fan of ATROPHY’s 80’s / 90’s output but “Asylum” raises the bar ten feet higher if that’s possible. You would think that a band that hasn’t put anything out for 30+ years would be rusty, sound outdated, that’s the furthest thing from the truth here.
I could go on and on, but I’ve been pretty clear that ATROPHY are back with a vengeance and “Asylum” is a must buy record. Standout tunes for me are the first two tracks – “Punishment For All” and “High Anxiety” but truth be told out of the nine songs on “Asylum”, they all rule, there’s not a bad one in the bunch. If you get the opportunity to see ATROPHY live ,take it. And buy the fuck out of this record, it’s more than worth it.
5/5 Stars