EP Review: Atavistia – Inane Ducam (Self Released)

Fresh from their recent European tour with Skálmöld and Seven Spires, Vancouver-based Atavistia will release their new EP Inane Ducam on July the 19th 2024.

Atavistia are a blackened symphonic metal outfit, formed in 2016, who released their debut album, One Within The Sun in 2017. Since then, they have released two more full lengths (The Winter Way and Cosmic Warfare) as well as an EP titled The Forbidden One. Cosmic Warfare was their last non single release and that was only back in 2023. Inane Ducam will soon join that growing catalogue when it drops on the 19th of July.

Inane Ducam, which translates to “I Will Lead Into Nothingness” sees some changes in the band. Where previously all instruments and vocals were handled by founder Mattias Sippola, the band now features a new guitarist in Elia Baghbaniyan and bassist/vocalist Spencer Budworth to flesh out the band that also recruited a drummer a few years back. With those changes and different inspirations now in the band, Inane Ducam sees Atavistia look to explore different genres and styles while still maintaining the core Atavistia sound.

Band founder Mattias Sippola comments:

“Inane Ducam was an experimental writing process – lower tuning, the debut of Spencer’s fierce low growls, and tempos reaching close to 300BPM. During the Winter months of 2023, Vancouver experienced extremely dark, cold, and gloomy days which is an antidote to creating music like this”.

Atavistia is Mattias Sippola and Elia Baghbaniyan on guitars with Max Sepulveda on drums and Spencer Budworth on bass and vocals.

Inane Ducam brings 5 new tracks to our ears and gets underway with the title track, Inane Ducam, a short (sub two minutes) introduction to this body of work and the band. It offers a huge dollop of atmosphere in its short run time. Tinkling melody adds a melancholic touch to the overall rich and deep tones. It sets your mind in the right way, ready for the journey you are about to embark on and the vocal passage, with its multitude of layers feels grand and important. It’s over before you know it, but you are well set as we move into Timeless Despair.

A track that differs greatly from previous Atavistia songs, Timeless Despair leans on quite an extreme sound with huge riffs, blistering drums and a nice range of tones in the vicious growled and occasionally guttural vocals. There is still melody, still orchestral arrangements and many of the components you have come to expect from the band, but it is all wrapped up in a blanket of brutality. The solo is fire as well, really standing out as a sudden burst of screaming melody contrasting nicely to the blackened force that surround sit.

Dark Isolation goes heavy on the orchestral at the start and has a bit of a “war” vibe to it. It transforms from that marching army style into an all out battle as the riffs and drums slam into gear. As the song progresses, it drops lower and brings in the vicious vocals but all still sitting over a bed of riffs and drums that are sure to get your head banging along. The orchestral backing keeps everything feeling really deep and rich and the leads guitars add melody shining a light within the darkness. A transition into a clean chorus caught me off guard completely, in a good way.

It’s catchy and shows yet another skill to the lead and backing vocalists who are already hitting all sorts of impressive tones and depths. Add in a big solo, more of the epic feeling choruses and you have a song that throws a whole lot at you, but it works and has a clear structure that Atavistia have managed to hold to, when it could so easily have become messy.

The penultimate track is called Unattained Creation and it comes straight at us with a supremely catchy beat and strong riff. The orchestral arrangements are there, always adding depth and a creepy vibe that really shines when the music drops away to leave the orchestra isolated for a whispered vocal passage, in Latin. The verse comes back in and returns to hitting us hard with a crunchy riff and interesting drum pattern. The chorus here is king though, bringing in the clean vocals, backed by harsh lines and moving melodically as the singing synchronises with the lead guitar melody. I love that. We also get my favourite solo so far on a song that is the stand out track so far on an EP of immense quality.

Inane Ducam closes with The Void, an over 7 minute long beast of a track and one that will certainly leave a lasting impression. Everything we have heard so far comes at us here in a manic intro of vicious growls and screams, intense drumming and huge riffs. All of this heaviness and brutality though is balanced finely with the moments of guitar or orchestral melody just acting as the glue that holds all of it together. The verses take no prisoners and give no band member or listener even a second to relax but heaviness for the sake of heaviness is not Atavistia’s purpose so expect a lot of different components and transitions.

A brief moment of calm suddenly changes into a really metallic and crunchy rhythm that will definitely get your head moving. As the melody starts growing, it launches into another strong solo, then straight back in to the intense vocals and rhythms. As we move on, somehow it seems the aggression ramps up further as vocals, drums and guitars just attack relentlessly. Something that makes the sudden stop and drop into a dark but beautiful orchestral led section seem all the more powerful. Guitars take control as the beat steadies and we get gang vocals shouts of “hey”. That will go down very well in a live environment. The full and rich sounds stay together now leading us all the way to the close as it fades out, and at last allows us to catch our breath and reflect.

Atavistia really have managed to deliver a huge amount of variety and quality here on Inane Ducam. If you aren’t familiar with the band, this will be a wonderful way to learn about them as I think they showcase a lot of what they are about here on this release. They deliver intense and aggressive heavy metal, but wrapped in a blanket of atmosphere and melody. Touches of black metal, some power, even moments of melodeath and of course plenty of symphonic sounds – it sounds like a lot to chuck in at once but they have managed to make it work.

Despite the huge array of sounds and styles, the release flows very well and makes sense. There is a huge amount of talent in the band, clearly and a lot of ideas and creativity. Whether through the different styles of powerful riffing, some insane speed drumming, but also plenty of more complex beats, strong bass lines, blazing solos and phenomenal vocals, lead and backing, and of course the orchestral arrangements – there is a lot to love and you can’t help but be impressed. Impressed by the range of talent, but also how the band have managed to get the best out of everyone to create songs, and an EP that has structure and oozes quality from the first notes, to the last.

Here on Inane Ducam, all of Atavistia’s many skills have come together to work harmoniously and create exciting songs that twist and turn and leave you breathless and desperate for more.

Atavistia Links

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