The Official After the Burial Thread: All things ATB!

[ChrisOfTheSky]

Ok so the album is pretty decent...

At first it was SO underwhelming (minus Your Troubles will cease and fortune will smile upon you because that track kicks ass) but after a few listens it's definitely grown on me.

Honestly, i was also split on the clean vocals, not knowing whether to think they were cool or cringe-worthy but they seem to fit.

There's no really awesome Berzerker style track, No flashy Ometh-esque solo and i still think A Steady Decline has one of the best grooves. Having said that the album is still a solid release despite it's short length.

I'll probably have it on in my car for a while!

 

[ROAR]

This album is awesome. I love Rareform (both, preferably re-release)
but this one is still great. I caught some tracks off youtube before
Sumerian tracked em down haha. I pre-ordered the album so I thought
my listening was ok for now. Though I can't wait to listen to it all this week.

 

[beefshoes]

Ordered it as well Pretty expensive though for a 30 min album, 20€.....
But hey, they're worth it

Wow, I wouldn't pay more than 10 for 30 minutes of music.....now if the band received full profit, that is another story.

 

[Gitte]

i cant wait to hear it! i saw them in berlin a few days ago and they killed it!! ATB FTW!!

 

[xJeremiahx]

^^^I felt the same about VOM when I first bought ID...but after forcing myself to listen to it a shitload...I'm diggin it a bit more.

The new ATB stuff to me is just like Rareform...a few great parts in each song mixed with a bunch of parts that I hate lol.

 

[NaYoN]

Following the footsteps of Veil of Maya, this album is completely underwhelming and feels hollow. Very disappointed, I'm not sure if I'm going to pick it up.


Why would they make their most solid track the one they release as a teaser single?

To make people think the album is actually good so they preorder it?

 

[JoshuaLogan]

Listened to the whole thing now. I think my favorite song is To Carry You Away. It has some really catchy, fucking cool riffs. My Frailty and Your Troubles Will Cease and Fortune Will Smile Upon You are also pretty cool... nice, aggressive, heavy songs. A few of the other songs remind me of All That Remains...

Encased in Ice is just weird... not sure I dig that song too much. Other than the low 8 string notes, it sounds like it could be a single by Slipknot/Disturbed/Mudvayne.... not really what I want to hear from ATB.... lol. The quick little Holdsworth-ish solo is pretty cool though. I think that's probably the guest solo by Rusty Cooley.

The mix is pretty damn good this time though... definitely the best mix they've ever had. I don't think the guitar tone is as awesome as it could be... a little too high middy, but it's still pretty cool, and other than that the mix is awesome.

 

[Gitte]

are there any videos from the release concert? did anyone go?

 

[RaceCar]

Following the footsteps of Veil of Maya, this album is completely underwhelming and feels hollow. Very disappointed, I'm not sure if I'm going to pick it up.


Why would they make their most solid track the one they release as a teaser single?

Are you saying Bread Crumbs is the best song on the cd? If so, that sucks.

 

[NaYoN]

Are you saying Bread Crumbs is the best song on the cd? If so, that sucks.

Yep, pretty much. And most other tracks aren't even close. My Frailty gets a bit close, and that's pretty much it.

Guys, Your Troubles is fine but it's more suited to be a Meshuggah song, not an ATB song. There's like 3 notes in that song, and it's not really fast or heavy either.

Promises Kept is cool imo, but it's cool as an All That Remains song, not as an ATB song.

Also, the sound is terrible. The drums are very obviously some kind of ezdrummer/superior thing, which in my opinion isn't acceptable in a big release like this. The sonic spectrum is also pretty bad, it sounds empty.

If you would try to put ATB's albums in order of progression, this seems like an album that one would make before Forging a Future Self. Multiple songs are like a bad Fingers Like Daggers. There is some forced "emotional" parts in some songs, but they never really feel emotional like in FAFS, they just feel engineered. I really, really love ATB but this album is just not up to par with their previous works. There's a LOT of chugging and not much riffs.

No Ometh/Engulfed like generally heavy and upbeat song with crazy solos, no Berzerker/Steady Decline like well rounded proggy songs, no Aspiration/Cursing Akhenaten like good upbeat chugfest. All songs have overly long chug parts for chug's sake. Yes, Pendulum tries to be Aspiration at parts, but there's no tempo to keep the song rolling.

This was overall very uninspired and not worthy of the ATB name.

/opinion

Yup, My Frailty is a cool song, Troubles is cool, Pendulum bored the hell out of me, To Carry You Away bored be in the same way Pendulum did, The Sleeper is the heavy song that couldn't, Promises kept feels like Pendulum part 3, and Encased in Ice is a decent song, but doesn't save the album for me.


When I listen to In Dreams, I wonder, "what happened to all the technical riffs, the innovative ideas like Pi or the swing time Berzerker breakdown, or the pop (not sappy, like this album) sound they once had went." Bread Crumbs is the only song that amazes me, and it has the only breakdown on this album that makes me want to fight someone, where as just about ever song on Rareform did.

Completely agree with you. It's like they took out all the elements that made them good and just expanded on everything else, making a very mediocre, un-impressing, non-technical, non-aggressive, non-progressive, uninspired album.

To put it in context, it's a much worse "progression" than Common Man's Collapse -> [id]

My Frailty is a goodish song that's uninspired but has some things going for it.
Your Troubles is like a song a bad djent band would write.
Pendulum tries to be Aspiration and fails hard. It's more like a bad All That Remains song. Not even a good ATR song.
Bread Crumbs is pretty much as good as this gets.
To Carry You Away is another ATR song. Both Pendulum and this are very slow and repetitive. The clean vocals are cool tho.
Sleeper is an uninspired thrash imitation song.
Promises Kept is quite cool, but it's just so sloow and sleepy, No dynamics or anything to get you going. Another ATR song.
Encased in Ice is a joke. It's a bad Limp Bizkit/Slipknot/Fear Factory song.

 

[Guitarman700]

Wow. So should I even pick this up? I loved Rareform, but this just sounds....bad.

 

[KoenDercksen]

I have this on pre-order, considering cancelling it haha! Oh well, I'll probably just wait for it anyway.

 

[spattergrind]

I agree. Its good, but its not awesome like I was thinking.
I mean it actually does sound more mainstream. Like the fact that the singles are the best songs on the album...I mean there are some songs with cool riffs and breakdowns, but they don't stand out as much.

Can't really touch Rareform. I mean a song has to suck you in and make you grin(at least for me) because it sounds that sick.

I mean Berzerker, as soon as that starts, (and is probably one of my favorite song because the whole song is good, good riffage and brutal breakdowns) and it doesn't let up.

But then again, maybe it has to grow on me before I make a final decision, because usually I am quick to judge. Just like I did with BTBAM.

 

[ROAR]

I have this on pre-order, considering cancelling it haha! Oh well, I'll probably just wait for it anyway.

Same here, but I'm pretty sure it'll grow on me.
Though now I doubt it'll ever compare to Rareform.

 

[KoenDercksen]

i seriously doubt that as well haha, oh well. Maybe it's really good in a different way, I might end up really liking it

 

[JoshuaLogan]

Yep, pretty much. And most other tracks aren't even close. My Frailty gets a bit close, and that's pretty much it.

Guys, Your Troubles is fine but it's more suited to be a Meshuggah song, not an ATB song. There's like 3 notes in that song, and it's not really fast or heavy either.

Promises Kept is cool imo, but it's cool as an All That Remains song, not as an ATB song.

Also, the sound is terrible. The drums are very obviously some kind of ezdrummer/superior thing, which in my opinion isn't acceptable in a big release like this. The sonic spectrum is also pretty bad, it sounds empty.

If you would try to put ATB's albums in order of progression, this seems like an album that one would make before Forging a Future Self. Multiple songs are like a bad Fingers Like Daggers. There is some forced "emotional" parts in some songs, but they never really feel emotional like in FAFS, they just feel engineered. I really, really love ATB but this album is just not up to par with their previous works. There's a LOT of chugging and not much riffs.

No Ometh/Engulfed like generally heavy and upbeat song with crazy solos, no Berzerker/Steady Decline like well rounded proggy songs, no Aspiration/Cursing Akhenaten like good upbeat chugfest. All songs have overly long chug parts for chug's sake. Yes, Pendulum tries to be Aspiration at parts, but there's no tempo to keep the song rolling.

This was overall very uninspired and not worthy of the ATB name.

/opinion



Completely agree with you. It's like they took out all the elements that made them good and just expanded on everything else, making a very mediocre, un-impressing, non-technical, non-aggressive, non-progressive, uninspired album.

To put it in context, it's a much worse "progression" than Common Man's Collapse -> [id]

My Frailty is a goodish song that's uninspired but has some things going for it.
Your Troubles is like a song a bad djent band would write.
Pendulum tries to be Aspiration and fails hard. It's more like a bad All That Remains song. Not even a good ATR song.
Bread Crumbs is pretty much as good as this gets.
To Carry You Away is another ATR song. Both Pendulum and this are very slow and repetitive. The clean vocals are cool tho.
Sleeper is an uninspired thrash imitation song.
Promises Kept is quite cool, but it's just so sloow and sleepy, No dynamics or anything to get you going. Another ATR song.
Encased in Ice is a joke. It's a bad Limp Bizkit/Slipknot/Fear Factory song.

Wow, dude. A little bit harsh, don't you think? I agree it's not exactly what I was expecting, but it's nowhere near as bad as you're making it out to be... and the mix is better than anything they've put out before.

I don't agree about Bread Crumbs being the best song. It's pretty good, but not the best. I also think To Carry You Away is a lot better than you guys are giving it credit for. The opening (distorted rhythm) / closing riff is one of the coolest on the album... no, not one of the heaviest, but one of the coolest, IMO. I like that song better than Promises Kept.

I think Your Troubles is one of the better songs on the album... not "something a bad djent band would write."

Pendulum definitely sounds like an ATR song... and not a particularly great one, but there are a few cool hooks in there.

Sleeper is definitely the most thrashy song... it has a few sections that sound like DEI-era Meshuggah, but overall the song doesn't really stand out that much.

Promises Kept is kinda boring to me... like Pendulum, but with less cool leads...

Encased in Ice definitely sounds like a nu-metal song... but I think that joke might be on purpose. Notice the vocal line "motherfucka, come on!" lol... Regardless if they are laughing about it or not, I would never put something like that on an album.

For anybody who hasn't heard the album yet: if you want the typical, heavy After The Burial you're used to, then My Frailty, Your Troubles..., and Bread Crumbs... are the 3 songs you'll be most happy with.

Their techyness / prog side is definitely toned down, and it seems like they purposely tried to write a few commercial metalcore style songs, but overall it's still a pretty cool release. It's just too short. I think people would be less nitpicky about it if it was longer.

 

[spattergrind]

Once again, people have to get used to it. I mean its good, but IMO its not that good, cuz I like the heavy.

 

[NaYoN]

Wow, dude. A little bit harsh, don't you think? I agree it's not exactly what I was expecting, but it's nowhere near as bad as you're making it out to be... and the mix is better than anything they've put out before.

I don't agree about Bread Crumbs being the best song. It's pretty good, but not the best. I also think To Carry You Away is a lot better than you guys are giving it credit for. The opening (distorted rhythm) / closing riff is one of the coolest on the album... no, not one of the heaviest, but one of the coolest, IMO. I like that song better than Promises Kept.

I think Your Troubles is one of the better songs on the album... not "something a bad djent band would write."

Pendulum definitely sounds like an ATR song... and not a particularly great one, but there are a few cool hooks in there.

Sleeper is definitely the most thrashy song... it has a few sections that sound like DEI-era Meshuggah, but overall the song doesn't really stand out that much.

Promises Kept is kinda boring to me... like Pendulum, but with less cool leads...

Encased in Ice definitely sounds like a nu-metal song... but I think that joke might be on purpose. Notice the vocal line "motherfucka, come on!" lol... Regardless if they are laughing about it or not, I would never put something like that on an album.

For anybody who hasn't heard the album yet: if you want the typical, heavy After The Burial you're used to, then My Frailty, Your Troubles..., and Bread Crumbs... are the 3 songs you'll be most happy with.

Their techyness / prog side is definitely toned down, and it seems like they purposely tried to write a few commercial metalcore style songs, but overall it's still a pretty cool release. It's just too short. I think people would be less nitpicky about it if it was longer.

Well, I prefer the mix of the original Rareform to the new Rareform. Maybe that says something about the kind of mixing I enjoy. This mix sounds truly awful for me. The lows on the guitars don't sound low, the vocals sound overcompressed, the drums sound like generic ez-drums. None of these issues existed in the original Rareform. Just listen to the low parts of Aspiration, then immediately switch to Your Troubles. You'll see how less heavy it sounds, especially if you have good speakers.

What's the best song in your opinion then? My Frailty? Because that's the only song other than Your Troubles that you seem absolutely positive about.

About the 'bad djent band' thing, well, the song really doesn't have anything going for it... It's just the first slide/bend riff, generic chugs, two power chords with a very basic lead on top, more generic chugging, the first riff, more chugging. And the chuggings don't even sound heavy because of the production. It just sounds

Pendulum does have hooks, that's totally true, but it's still lackluster in all categories compared to every previous ATB song.

About Encased in Ice, I don't know if they were serious with that but it's just bad. Compare it to the bonus track on Slice the Cake's EP, where they make fun of many stuff in a silly way, and it's still enjoyable. Or Keep of Kalessin's DragonTower. Going out of your genre is fine, cool even, but you need to do it well.

I agree with those 3 songs being the songs you'll be happy with if you're a typical ATB fan. But even those songs aren't really that great. Some of this can be attributed to the production, but also to uninspired songwriting.

I think the problem isn't that it's too short but it feels like a regular album minus the good songs, leaving only the filler songs. There aren't too many impressive guitar parts or 'fuck yeah' riffs, or ultra heavy breakdowns. As I keep saying, it feels like an ATB tribute band that's doing it wrong, ATB minus everything that makes them exceptional. It's not that it's a particularly bad release, it's just that I would never pick this album up if it didn't have the ATB name on it, compared to their older albums which I would pay double the price because the music is incredible and unlike anything else.

I'm not telling people not to buy this or anything, this is just an expression of my disappointment. I was looking forward to this album immensely because I loved everything about ATB, the sick leads, the upbeat awesomeness, the ultra low and original chugs, the killer production that was both heavy and clear (Rareform is probably my favorite album tone-wise) and the overall impressive songwriting in general. This album had none of those, that's why I'm sad.

 

[gunshow86de]

You guys must be wizards or have some sort of time machine, the album doesn't come out until tomorrow!!!

 

[NaYoN]

You guys must be wizards or have some sort of time machine, the album doesn't come out until tomorrow!!!

I am indeed a wizard, and I will have yet to be inventing the time machine last year.

On topic, the clean vocals are quite interesting. I wish they combined some Rareform-like techyness with clean vocals, that would have been awesome.