ATAVISMA (Fra) Where wolves once dwelled Tape! Death doom

ATAVISMA (Fra) Where wolves once dwelled. Demo tape out now!




The first demo of french band ATAVISMA is now available on tape.
4 tracks of old Death doom, influenced by Funebrarum, Incantation, Entombed...

Listen:
http://nihilisticholocaustrecs.bandcamp.com


Released as a black tape with sticker,
and pro printed cover.

Available against 2,5 Euros + postage (No paypal fee):
http://nihilisticdistro.tictail.com/products/nihilistic-holocaust-releases





More infos: http://nihilistic.voila.net/Label/moreinfos/moreinfos_atavisma.htm


Contact:
gabsk(a)wanadoo.fr
http://nihilistic.voila.net

The tape is now available on Bandcamp merch, Bigcartel and Discogs,
for those who prefer to use one of these sites.

Bandcamp:
http://nihilisticholocaustrecs.bandcamp.com/merch

Bigcartel:
http://nihilisticholocaust.bigcartel.com

Discogs:
http://www.discogs.com/Atavisma-Where-Wolves-Once-Dwelled/release/5832631

Bye,
Gabriel

Hello,

The first two reviews of the ATAVISMA tape have appeared and are located at the end of this message.

35 physical promos have been sent, or are in the process of being sent, and more follow follow... So more reviews will follow for sure!
In a time when labels only bother to send digital mp3 promos, and keep on flooding webzine-makers with more links everydays, I believe it's important to spread something physical that doesn't instantaneously get lost in a gigantic sea of virtuals datas and unrealistic selling points.

Trades are possible, so get in touch if you'rre interested...
gabsk(a)wanadoo.fr

Bye
G

METAL GALLOWS Blog
If you are a little like me in that the emergence of UK super group Vallenfyre excites you on many levels then get set for more thrills in the form of French band Atavisma and their debut demo "Where Wolves Once Dwelled", a four track, twenty minute ode to perverse blackness, sickening menace and slowed down death metal sinisterness! Opening with the harrowing cry of "I am the Infadel!, Atavisma seem to take you back to a millenium gone by when swords clashed and blood was spilled in the sun drenched lands of the distant brown skinned foe who "God" deemed it necessary to purge from their land in blood and violence, a message portrayed through his man appointed mouth piece (The Pope) and whose words spread like wild fire and bathed the middle east in gore and pain! Atavisma take you there superbly with such engrossing lyrics as "You call yourself civilized, but you want us neutralized, Let the ancient spirit flow to you, and understand our point of view" and all shrouded with slow, down tuned reverb fueled riffs, dark pummeling melodies and the constant aura of death, darkness and mournful eras past!
Atavisma may not have the big budget production of Vallenfyre but in terms of heart, passion and a devastating sound they are definitely on the same wave-length and while VF we're created to unleash emotions regarding a family bereavement, Atavisma appear to have been formed to speak out against and strike a hammer blow to the cruelty of man kind and condemn the outrages that have been undertaken in the name of God and religion against fellow man and against nature (See tracks such as "Nature's Warfare). So let saracen swords swing powerfully in your minds eye as Atavisma's crushing musical display and thought provoking lyrical messages wash over you and rejoice in the birth of an epic new band, one who put as much strength and energy into their song writing, displaying superb melodies, dense and bleak soundscapes and thundering riffs, as they do their meaningful lyrical output! 85%. Luke Hayhurst


ZWAREMETALEN Webzine (Hol)
Goed nieuws, het debuut van het Franse Atavisma is sinds kort te verkrijgen op tape! Aangezien atavisme in zijn neo-heidense context verwijst naar een terugkeer naar de primitiviteit en het omarmen van onze dierlijke eigenschappen, is een release op tape meer dan toepasselijk. Het is een beetje zonde dat Where Wolves Once Dwelled geplaagd gaat onder een redelijk primitieve productie, maar dat zal dan wel toepasselijk zijn.
Deze Fransen spelen zware, donkere death-/doommetal, met trage riffs, diepe grunts en een dreigende sfeer. Opener The Savage One is veruit het beste nummer, met een loodzware eerste minuut en doommetal met een beetje peper in de poep. De rest van deze demo is poep zonder peper, trage, lichtjes krakende doommetal met eentonige vocalen en weinig verrassingen. De solo’s op Where Wolves Once Dwelled doen nochtans vermoeden dat hier een vaardige gitarist met potentieel aan het werk is. De drummer is dan weer grotendeels onzichtbaar. Een plaatje dat het een en ander belooft, maar voor een verbetering zullen deze heren toch een deel van hun primitiviteit aan de kant moeten schuiven. Ze proberen het wel met de kort-maar-krachtige afsluiter Nature’s Warfare, maar die bevestigt vooral dat er hier meer mogelijk is.

Taste the smell of the cavern!

Salut,

Les chroniques continuent d'apparaitre,
cette fois en allemand, français et anglais.

NECROSLAUGHTER Webzine (Ger)
Tonnenschwer und grabestief. ATAVISMA spielen eine brachiale Interpretation des Doom/Death Metals.Vielleicht noch mit einigen Ecken und Kanten. Aber definitiv mit erkennbarem Potential! Darum wurde das erste Demo der 2013 gegründeten Band bereits zwei Mal neu aufgelegt. Zunächst erschien “Where Wolves Once Dwelled” digital über die Band selber. Dead Center Productions folgten alsbald für eine CD-Version. Und schlussendlich hat Nihilistic Holocaust noch eine Kassetten-Edition rausgebracht.
In dem jungen Stadium gibt es natürlich noch ein paar kleine Mängel. Der Drumcomputer ist zwar durchweg ordentlich programmiert und fügt sich passend in die Songstrukturen ein. Lediglich in den schnellen Passagen und Blastbeats klingt er etwas zu synthetisch. Doch der Mix im eröffnenden “The Savage One” ist zu übersteuert und schreckt im ersten Moment ab. Nachfolgend ist das Schlagzeug dann etwas weniger verzerrt; insgesamt klingt der Sound etwas inkonsequent. Durchaus okay für ein erstes Lebenzeichen, aber es erschafft eine hohe Einstiegshürde in “Where Wolves Once Dwelled“.
Auch ist “The Savage One” nicht der beste Song der Demo. Durchaus gut gemacht und deutet ein paar Qualitäten an. Doch die anderen Lieder wären ein wesentlich besserer Auftakt in die 20 Minuten Spielzeit gewesen. Sicherlich klingen “Forsaken” oder der Titeltrack gelegentlich etwas nach prototypischen Doom/Death Metals. ATAVISMA mixen dazu aber noch ein paar interessante Elemente. “Nature’s Warfare” ist dabei der vielleicht geradlinigste und abrupteste Song, hauptsächlich Death Metal ohne Spiel mit dem Tempo. Im Wechsel mit Geschwindigkeiten und Dynamik, ist der Titeltrack die ausgereifteste Nummer.
Manche Riffs erinnern in ihrem Horror-Groove etwas an Hooded Menance, sporadisch klingt die schwedische Buzzsaw-Gitarre nach Entombed. Doch das sind alles nur Momente. Häufiger zeigen sich Parallelen zu Cryptborn – zumindest beim Death Metal Anteil. Tiefe Growls, tiefergestimmte Gitarren und finnische Atmosphäre/Harmonie. Dazu dann halt noch zäher Doom.
Das alles gibt es zum fairen Preis. Die CD kostet über die Band 4 Euro. Auf deren Bandcamp-Profil gibt es auch den Download für 2,50. Für den gleichen Preis bekommt man aber auch bei Nihilistic Holocaust die Kassette mit professionellem J-Card (Single-Flap) und Sticker.
Wer sich selber ein Urteil bilden will, kann das direkt über den Bandcamp-Player tun. Aber unbedingt auch mehrfach anhören! Ich finde, “Where Wolves Once Dwelled” wächst. Und am Schluss geht der primitive Groove ziemlich in Mark und Bein über. Haltet ein Auge auf die Band, da kommt sicherlich noch ein sehr gutes Album!


FRENCH METAL Webzine (Fra)
Un groupe tout frais, venant de Paris, qui officie dans une style purement suédois, ça a le mérite de donner envie d’y jeter une oreille attentive. Effectivement, le doom / death annoncé fait partie des choses qui sautent aux esgourdes à l’arrivée des notes qui inaugurent cette démo. Le chant est caverneux, les guitares font très Dismember (old school), et le mix final donne une dimension lugubre à "Where Wolves Once Dwelled".
Le morceau d’ouverture est typiquement doom, oppressant, rythmiquement suffoquant, et le chant sur ce "The Savage One" foutrait les boules à un féru de films d’horreur, j’adore, la compo glace le sang. Avant de continuer de décortiquer cette démo comme si c’était une crevette au curry, il faut déjà savoir où se procurer cette petite pépite. Nihilistic Distro, les grands connaisseurs se diront "Ah oui, Nihilistic Holocaust qui officie dans l’underground depuis un sacré paquet d’années" ! C’est cela même ! Nihilistic que j’ai connu en 2000 grâce notamment à mon fanzine papier de l’époque "Nonoise Nogood" (Ne cherchez pas, ce bijou est quasi introuvable, même moi j’ai eu du mal à rassembler la totalité de mes neuf numéros). Bref, Gabriel de Nihilistic n’a pas changé son fusil d’épaule et nous propose depuis une quinzaine d’année au moins toute sorte de pépites complètement obscures venant du monde entier. Je dirais que c’est une, si ce n’est la distro underground qu’il faut connaître pour découvrir des bonnes galettes. "Forsaken", le second morceau, hausse le ton sans qu’on s’y attende, le morceau commence très fort et de façon ultra violente pour ne doomer que rarement. Attention, ça tabasse sans pitié, toute la maîtrise musicale d’Atavisma se fait entendre sur "Forsaken". Le morceau est énorme, la vitesse du batteur est hallucinante, la claque ! "Where Wolves Once Dwelled", avant-dernier titre de la démo, nous replonge dans un doom intense, glacial sans être minimaliste pour autant car le morceau est varié. "Nature’s Warfare" clôture la démo en 2min09, ce qui est court pour une démo qui ne contient déjà que 4 titres.
In fine, comme on dit dans les milieux autorisés du sadomasochisme hongrois à tendance scato, cette démo m’a plus que convaincu car le petit mélange doom / death old school à la suédoise m’a vraiment surpris. Les points positifs sont d’une part le chant que je trouve énorme, et cette froideur hallucinante qui transpire des compos. Cette première démo me donne très envie d’en entendre plus, avec quand même pour le futur un meilleur son de batterie, enfin quand je dis meilleur c’est : plus audible quand ça accélère franco comme sur "Forsaken". Très bonne surprise. Davidnonoise. Juillet 2014. 15/20


VOICES FROM THE DARKSIDE Webzine (Ger)
From France comes crawling ATAVISMA with its cryptic form of Death Metal. Paying no heed to the contemporary style of the genre, the band wallows in darkness, in its own slime and mud. It’s almost doomy, given its slow, dragging pace but it’s most reminiscent of INCANTATION although the sound owes a lot to the earlier Finnish bands too. I’m reminded of WINTERWOLF in its over-the-top, hulking demeanour and at other times even FUNEBRE and CONVULSE. It’s rather simplistic and unformed however, relying on catchy albeit slow hooks and heaving parts. This is a demo-level band doing everything right where the aesthetic is concerned. The pace is however too sluggish and the sound a little too hackneyed to derive any real thrill out of it. What it is, is a competent debut, much like say CONTAMINATED from Australia, following in INCANTATION’s footsteps. Even if the band isn’t trying to sound exactly like INCANTATION or any of its particular eras, it’s like saying SUFFOCATION had no influence whatsoever on the brutal Death Metal genre the way INCANTATION affects this dark Death Metal subgenre. It’s most reminiscent of the early Craig Pillard era of INCANTATION and that’s a good thing, especially when merging some scary and primitive sounds from the Finnish scene. There’s not much point in playing slower because the intent is different. It’s no WINTER or THERGOTHON – clearly the band excels in playing faster, meaner Death Metal with the heart being in the right place. The vocals are the biggest I’ve heard in recent times, hearkening back to the CARNAGE days, the sound is absolutely crushing and cavernous, and the music reeks of promise.

Hello,

Here's a review from the german paper zine FATAL UNDERGROUND:

Aus Frankreich schwappt ja immer mal wieder recht gutes Zeugs zu uns rüber .Und so zeigen sich die drei Franzmänner auf ihrem Debut auch alles andere als schlecht ,wenn auch ihre hier im Angebot stehenden 4 Stücke einen nun nicht komplett die Beine wegziehen können .In den hier gut 20 min .zeigt man sich in erster Linie verdammt dunkel und enorm schwer ,lässt es aber dennoch auch immer wieder ordentlich krachen .Deren Mixtur aus Doom und old school Death Metal bietet zwar nun nicht wirklich was Neues ,lässt aber dennoch so einiges an Potential, was in ihnen steckt , erkennen .Zum großen Teil agiert man hier mit sehr tief gestimmten Gitarren ,insbesondere bei den Doom Passagen .Legt man sich dann aber mal so richtig mit schnellen Passagen und fast schon Blastbeats ins Zeug , erkennt man ganz klar deren starken schwedischen Einfluss .Hierbei bringt man stellenweise dann so einiges an Groove mit rein , welcher einen alles andere als kalt lassen kann .Da geht schon verdammt was ab ! Das man bemüht ist ,Abwechslung reinzubringen ,zeigt sich insbesondere dann ,wenn man den Gitarren doch eher etwas ruhigere hellere Töne entlockt, und diese ins ansonsten recht dunkle Geschehen mit einfließen lässt .Obwohl man überwiegend im verdammt tiefen Growlbereich agiert ,lässt man es sich aber auch nicht nehmen , mal kurzfristig mit fast sanften Gesangeinlagen aufzutrumpfen .Was bleibt nun als Fazit zu vermelden : „ATAVISMA“ machen ihre Sache ganz gut und haben‘s durchaus verdient ,dass ihr denen mal etwas Beachtung schenkt .Man kann auf jeden Fall gespannt drauf sein ,was von denen in Zukunft noch so alles kommen wird .
Das Tape gibt’s bei Nihilistic Holocaust für 2,50€ ,welche man ohne große Bedenken investieren kann .Wer es „moderner“ mag kann das Teil auch als CD direkt beider Band ( 4 € ) oder als Download auf deren Bandcamp Seite ordern . ( LEO )

For those who like facebook,
here's the page of d'ATAVISMA:
https://www.facebook.com/Atavisma.Band?fref=ts

The page of the webzine:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/NIHILISTIC-HOLOCAUST-Webzine-Distro/211271322274546

The one of the distro:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/191804495568

And another page about small french death metal bands:
https://www.facebook.com/DeathMetalFrance

A++
Gabriel

Hello,

The distribution of the tape occurs well, we are approaching the 150 copies.
There are some a bit everywhere on the planet: Usa, Brazil, Mexico, Chile, Australia, Thailand, Germany, Italy, Uk, Netherland, Turkey... Without an official distributor, it's prospecting and exchanges "The old way".

Also three new good reviews were published, and more will follow...

Bye
Gabriel


BRUTALISM Webzine (Hol)
Originally a digital release but also released on tape by Nihilistic Holocaust, this is heavy as hell French death/doom, more so of the style of Asphyx. The production is extremely dirty and rather inviting, although you may find some difficulties picking out all of the vocal sounds due to the more often than not muddy production. But bleakness is the key here.
Once you play with your equalizer settings, you will hear much to get excited about. Ok, a lot of bands do this style; a lot of bands of a much bigger stature get credit for this style. When you think that there are bands like this around, then you really appreciate what this band can do and how they should be spoke about in line with larger outfits. ‘The Savage One’ sounds like and delivers its message with an often harrowing vocal wail, a down dirty but almost torturous delivery feeds your senses and makes the track sound a lot more expansive than perhaps it is. The pattern is similar for the remainder of the EP and the full range of the recording quality is captured very nicely. The short acoustic section of the title track even produces a sinister feeling, before being annihilated when the guitars and distortion kicks in. If you were to take the Swedeath guitar tone, cross swords with bands like Disma for the filthy guitar sound, the aforementioned Asphyx and to some extent the bleak horror of Triptykon for the speed of the release, then you have a perfect match. It is certainly not pretty, but it is certainly entertaining.
This is the best form of doom death, bare bone crushing heaviness at its near best. I look forward to more material by this bunch of rotten souls. Paul Maddison. 4/5


CONTAMINATED TONES Blog (Usa)
Dirtier than a crusty herpes covered pair of shit smeared lips wrapped around a dusty dildo, Where Wolves Once Dwelled, Atavisma's debut demo, will appeal to death metal die-hards that just can't find enough pleasure in the sounds of gurgling vocals and guitars as thick as quicksand. As if there wasn't enough unholy death metal demo tapes out there to pick up, add this to the list and luckily, this one is easily available and ready to be sucked dry. The trio, based in France (as is label Nihilistic Holocaust) get a lot of noise from the lack of numbers but they also capture more discerning ears when they incorporate disgusting lead melodies into their brand of sewage. In many ways, this reminds me of Mandatory's Where They Bleed with the super swampy guitar tones and powerful riffing. Still, an adept attention to songwriting is at play and should live up to the scrutiny of fans. With bands like Horrendous getting a ton of attention with their recent releases, the primordial ooze is bubbling here with the possibilities of a similar - though hopefully less polished - trajectory.
Where Wolves Once Dwelled opens with the boiling "The Savage One," slowly pummeling and writhing along. Vocalist - unnamed on the insert as are the other two members - is capable of some excellent guttural vocals and uses the talent all across this demo. They are perfect when paired with the ugliness of the material here. The remind of Undergang, Timeghoul or Iniquity on Serenadium. Atavisma's love of Swedish death metal is shown in "Forsaken" and "Nature's Warfare," the shorter of the four tracks. Grave and Entombed - to no one's surprise - are present in many riffs without being pure rip-offs. The title track is the highlight for me, opening it's length with some clean yet sinister guitar plucking before launching into a twisting doom tinted riff. The song is the ugliest, but also most complex with an extended instrumental section where once again clean guitars mimic the intro but are accompanied by tense drumming to create a dense malevolent mist.
This longer track would have been a better opening track for Where Wolves Once Dwelled but the fact it exists here is enough to give me some dirty and ugly thoughts. Even the usage of 'dwelled' instead of the proper 'dwelt' gives just that additional personality which I enjoy, even if it would make an English teacher tear at their eye sockets. As usual with Nihilistic Holocaust's releases, the tape labels are a little skimpy, and not a lot of material is present on the insert which is a little of a bummer but with my only musical gripe being how set back the percussion is in the mix, this is one of those pleasurable items that ends up in my collection and one I would recommend to others interest in quality death metal demos.


METAL TEMPLE Webzine (Gre)
Demos, Demos, it is really hard to find good Demos nowadays, but these trio from France called ATAVISMA which by the way got together in 2013 and thank God for that!! have given us a fucking good Demo released in cassette, I love cassettes it is so pure fucking Metal.
France have given us some awesome bands and they keep on doing it, SORTILEGE, AGRESSOR, KILLERS, SATANS JOKKERS, ADX, NIGHTMARE… and now ATAVISMA in your face with pure Death Doom Metal and rotting away that flesh that one has forgotten… The cassette start rolling with "The savage One" pure ASPHYX , heavy, dirt and full of hate, I can smell the stench of Death filling the air, the guitars are heavy with that Swedish sounding and the bass lines a heavy as fuck!! Heavy and dirty drumming, it has that dark vibe all over, I can feel all the goosebumps forming over my body.
There is no salvation for you my friend, I am the "Forsaken" and I will get you, Death and Doom have now joined forces and the result is ATAVISMA, old school style straight to the point, everything is thick as blood, the guitars, vocals, bass and drums, shit all over your face and if you don’t like I don’t care, this is great music, and it is only a Demo, I wonder what next is coming from these awesome trio.
"Where The Wolves Once Dwelled" I do not really know, what I know is that France has given us this fucking awesome band, mean to the core, they have an unique sound and I truly hope they do not change anything for the next album, it sounds great, slow pace like a funeral song and fast beats like pure old school Death Metal, a masterpiece indeed like MENTAL FUNERAL by AUTOPSY.
"Nature's Warfare" bring the drapes down with style, killer vocals, harsh and deep tearing your flesh away, great riffs very catching, amazing, everything works well with precision. As production goes, fucking excellent, more please, art cover is very good too, please give me more!!!!

Hello,

Reviews of the ATAVISMA tape keep on appearing!

Don't be the last to get your copy.

Gabriel


METAL REVOLUTION Webzine (Hol)
Despite only being a demo, Atavisma's Where the Wolves Once Dwelled still managed to impress me, quite a bit even. The labels own introduction of the band compared them to Death Metal legends such as Entombed, Funebrarum and their ilk, which I did not give much notice, since many bands claim such influences without it being audible in their own sound. In the case of Atavisma, however, I heard it as plain as day and would even go so far as to make a slight comparison to Obituary as well.
The music is immensely heavy (Doom-like heavy), slow and efficient, without becoming depressive or anything else other than a genuine onslaught on the ears. The incredibly low-pitched growl delivered by the lead singer helps bind everything together in a nice, little bundle of old-school Death Metal yet still managing to create their own distinct sound, exactly the way it should be. Where the Wolves Once Dwelled impressed me greatly and I cannot wait to get my hands on a full-length album as opposed to a four-track demo such as this. Brian. 90/100


ROCK VAULT Webzine (Turkey)
Uzun zamandır topluluklardan mektup almıyorduk. Fransa’dan gelen (Nihilistic Holocaust) zarfın içinden ne çıkacağını tahmin etmekte zorlandık. İçini açtığımızda Atavisma’ya ait olduğunu görünce merak edip CD’yi çalıcımıza taktık. CD diyorum, bu bir demo ve bu sene başında dijital olarak yayınlandı. Zaten topluluğun başka herhangi bir alnümü yok ve geçmişleri geçen seneye dayanıyor. Elemanlar hakkında ayrıntılı bilgi bulunmasa da nadir bulunan grup fotoğraflarında 3 kişi oldukları görülüyor. “Where Wolves Once Dwelled” demosunun tarzı death/doom metal ve yaklaşık 20 dk. süren eser bu tarzda müzik dinleyenlerin ilgisini çekebilir. Bunu laf olsun diye söylemiyorum, ister bu tarzın kurdu olun, ister olmayın; Atavisma daha ilk demosuyla kendi atmoslerini yaratmış diyebiliriz. Çalıştıkları firma Nihilistic Holocaust’a göre bu albümde Funebrarum, Incantation ve Entombed’dan etkilenilmişlikleri fark edeceksiniz. Biraz daha araştırdığımızda Atavisma’yı Engulfed, Burial Invocation gibi ekiplerimize benzetenler de var görünüyor.
Tüm bunların haricinde Amerikan topluluk Disma’yla çok benzerliklerini gördüm diyenler de yok değil. Dinleyicilerin bu grubu kimlere benzettikleri bir yana dursun (dürüst söyleyeyim; üstteki hiç bir gruba benzemiyor), Atavisma’nın “doğa, insanoğlu ve atavizm” ile ilgilendiğini belirtelim. Daha da ileri gidelim, belki “atavizm” nedir bilmeyenler olabilir (ki ekibin adıyla bile alakalı), atavizm; “Organizmalarda evrimsel gelişim süresince ortadan kalkan bazı özelliklerin tekrar görülmesi, soya çekim, atacılık” demek. Örnek vermek gerekirse; bir canlıda, kuşaklar boyunca kaybolmuş özelliklerin ortaya çıkması. Maymun gibi kuyruklu bir insan doğarsa bu atavizm oluyor. Bunlar liriksel olarak bilmemiz gerekenlerdi. Müzik olarak bilmemiz gerekenler; vokalistin yaptığı iş bu demoda başarılı, seçtikleri ana rif ve melodiler ile parçalar yürüyor, bateri noktasında topluluk yeterince hızlı tempolu değil; “değilse değildir” diyeceksiniz lakin yeri geldiğinde atak bekliyorsunuz ama bulamıyorsunuz. Bu demonun dijitali de, kasedi de, CD’si de var. Kirli kayıt seven, yeraltını tırmalayan, çalınmış olan tarzı seven eski kafa bir arşivciyseniz Nihilistic Holocaust ile bağlantıya geçmenizi öneririm. 3/5


BRUTAL CARNAGE Webzine (Rus)
Все адекватные персонажи могут заняться своими делами, а вот заскорузлых олдфагов мы просим придвинуться поближе к экранам ламповых мониторов. Сегодня вашему вниманию представлено дебютное демо парижской нечестивой троицы Atavisma с симптоматичной вывеской "Where Wolves Once Dwelled". Данный музыкальный прожект имеет высокосветское парижское происхождение, однако звучит данный релиз так, словно записывали его студеной февральской ночью в лесной чаще, неподалеку от пригородов Стокгольма, причем лет этак 25 тому назад. Материал подается его авторами как "oldschool death metal influenced by Incantation, Funebrarum, Entombed". Ну, насчет стилистической принадлежности они не соврали - стафф демо несет в себе 4 сырых трэка, выполненных в традициях примитивного и прямолинейного смерть-метала махровых шведских кондиций конца 80-х / начала 90-х, причем сыгранных достаточно коряво и погано. Хотя, хуй знает, скорее всего такова была концепт-идея "Where Wolves Once Dwelled" - продемонстрировать всему андеграунду неувядающую мощь старой школы, но не выгорело дельце, ахаха!Особых равнений на Incantation и Funebrarum я здесь не услышал, соотнести материал "Where Wolves Once Dwelled" можно разве с плеядой третьесортных бандочек, коими скандинавская дэт-сцена кишила во времена собственного расцвета. Характерный звукан, с узнаваемым каждым олдскульщиком песочным тембром, Atavisma нарулила верно, а вот с качеством материала вышла капитальная промашка. Не особо-то он и цепляет, чтобы выстраиваться в очередь за "Where Wolves Once Dwelled". Больше всего стафф напомнил мне финнов Desecresy - такое же унылое и безыдейное бренчание по струнам при солидарной поддержке туповато-монотонной драм-машинки. Хотите действительно качественного олдскула, одержимого ностальгической атмосферой? Тогда обратите свои взоры в сторону германских Mandatory, Slaughterday или шведов Entrails, вот где действительно недооцененные таланты вызревают, перевариваясь в собственном соку! А катать вату, подобно тому, как это делает Atavisma - дело нехитрое. Кароч, стафф для самых закоренелых и наглухо пробитых олдскульщиков, остальным он вооще никуда не упирался.

In the mood for doom.

Hello,

We received a lot of reviews from Czech republic, Turkey, Poland (x2), Italy and Portugal.

No mp3 file can beat physical promos

See you in the cavern,
Gabriel


FOBIA Webzine (Cze)
Tryzna, pořádaná na památku klasického doom/death metalu se tentokrát pořádala v Paříži. Tamní příznivci tohoto ploužícího se stylu, kteří si říkají ATAVISMA, uspořádali obřad vskutku monstrózní. Vzali si sice na své první demonahrávce obrovské sousto, ale to se jim povedlo rozžvýkat a rozdrtit se ctí. Nahrávka sice trpí horším zvukem a některé nápady se musí hledat pod drobnohledem, ale když si dáte tu práci, najednou před vámi leží pořádně ohlodaná kostra. Francouzské podzemí bylo vždycky trošku jiné než ta ostatní, ale tentokrát se pohybujeme v těžké klasice. Během poslechu jsem se nemohl pořád zbavit dojmu, že se pánové snaží o něco podobného, co dnes tvoří jejich slavnější kolegové VALLENFYRE. To by zase tolik nevadilo, jen si nejsem schopen demo díky slévajícímu zvuku pořádně vychutnat, neustále mě to ruší a i když moje uši semelou kdejakou špinavost, tak tady mi to vadí. Dalšími vzory ATAVISMA jsou bezesporu ASPHYX, AUTOPSY, FUNEBRARUM, HOODED MENACE, INCANTATION a ENTOMBED.
Pokud se ale oprostím od špatné (v podstatě žádné) produkce a budu hodnotit jen nápady samotné, tak musím tyto francouzské nihilisty jen a jen chválit. Kytary v pozadí chřestí skoro až ve švédském stylu, k tomu valí basa a murmur pana zpěváka také není k zahození. Skladby jsou dlouhé, studené, přesně jak se na daný styl sluší a patří. Nejsilnější, co se týká navozované atmosféry zmaru, jsou pak ATAVISMA ve chvílích, kdy zazní deptající vybrnkávání. To mám co dělat, abych si nerval vlasy hrůzou a je splněn jeden z mých základních požadavků na dobrou muziku. Řeže to, jsem donucen nad songy přemýšlet a jsem schopen se plně soustředit na veškeré utrpení, linoucí se z reproduktorů.
Obal hodnotit nebudu, i když vypadá dobře. Jedná se přeci jen o demo, o ochutnávku, která má dát o kapele vědět. Bývám
k podobným záležitostem poměrně odmítavý, kapely se většinou projevují jen v náznacích a kolikrát pak na dlouhohrající desce předvedou zcela něco jiného. U ATAVISMA mám ale neustálý, až „vtíravý“ pocit, že o téhle smečce ještě pořádně uslyšíme. Všude po světě totiž sbírá jen samá vysoká hodnocení a je vynášena na samotný vrchol oltáře old school doom/death metalu. U mě tomu nebude samozřejmě jinak, protože podobné ozvěny ze záhrobí mi dělají jen a jen dobře. Myslím, že ATAVISMA by měli zapracovat hlavně na tom, aby sehnali pořádného producenta a label, který se o ně postará. Jinak skončí v propadlišti dějin nebo se budou zmítat jen v nejhlubším undergroundu a o jejich muzice se dozví jen pár doom/death metalových archeologů.
Vždycky, když jsem měl těch necelých dvacet minut poslechu za sebou, bylo mi nějak divně na duši. Jako správný tvrďák jsem se bránil si připustit, že je mi to líto, ale nakonec jsem se musel podívat pravdě do očí. Tohle demo si, na rozdíl od stovky dalších, budu pamatovat. Moje pocity byly a jsou srovnatelné s těmi, které mívají lidé po pohřbu, hned při příchodu na smuteční hostinu. Všichni bývají pohrouženi do sebe, rozpačitě se usmívají, ženy zadržují pláč a chlapi mají drsné řeči, aby zakryli to, co prožívají. Pak se vzpomíná. A právě takovými malými prazážitky, útržky z poslední cesty, jsou pro mě ATAVISMA. Samozřejmě, všechna podobná muzika zde už byla nespočetněkrát, jenže tady je podávána chutně, s trošku jiným kořením a hlavně s jakousi silou, kterou mám u smrtících kapel tolik rád. Death/doomová tryzna může začít.


ROCK VAULT Webzine (Turkey)
Uzun zamandır topluluklardan mektup almıyorduk. Fransa’dan gelen (Nihilistic Holocaust) zarfın içinden ne çıkacağını tahmin etmekte zorlandık. İçini açtığımızda Atavisma’ya ait olduğunu görünce merak edip CD’yi çalıcımıza taktık. CD diyorum, bu bir demo ve bu sene başında dijital olarak yayınlandı. Zaten topluluğun başka herhangi bir alnümü yok ve geçmişleri geçen seneye dayanıyor. Elemanlar hakkında ayrıntılı bilgi bulunmasa da nadir bulunan grup fotoğraflarında 3 kişi oldukları görülüyor. “Where Wolves Once Dwelled” demosunun tarzı death/doom metal ve yaklaşık 20 dk. süren eser bu tarzda müzik dinleyenlerin ilgisini çekebilir. Bunu laf olsun diye söylemiyorum, ister bu tarzın kurdu olun, ister olmayın; Atavisma daha ilk demosuyla kendi atmoslerini yaratmış diyebiliriz. Çalıştıkları firma Nihilistic Holocaust’a göre bu albümde Funebrarum, Incantation ve Entombed’dan etkilenilmişlikleri fark edeceksiniz. Biraz daha araştırdığımızda Atavisma’yı Engulfed, Burial Invocation gibi ekiplerimize benzetenler de var görünüyor.
Tüm bunların haricinde Amerikan topluluk Disma’yla çok benzerliklerini gördüm diyenler de yok değil. Dinleyicilerin bu grubu kimlere benzettikleri bir yana dursun (dürüst söyleyeyim; üstteki hiç bir gruba benzemiyor), Atavisma’nın “doğa, insanoğlu ve atavizm” ile ilgilendiğini belirtelim. Daha da ileri gidelim, belki “atavizm” nedir bilmeyenler olabilir (ki ekibin adıyla bile alakalı), atavizm; “Organizmalarda evrimsel gelişim süresince ortadan kalkan bazı özelliklerin tekrar görülmesi, soya çekim, atacılık” demek. Örnek vermek gerekirse; bir canlıda, kuşaklar boyunca kaybolmuş özelliklerin ortaya çıkması. Maymun gibi kuyruklu bir insan doğarsa bu atavizm oluyor. Bunlar liriksel olarak bilmemiz gerekenlerdi. Müzik olarak bilmemiz gerekenler; vokalistin yaptığı iş bu demoda başarılı, seçtikleri ana rif ve melodiler ile parçalar yürüyor, bateri noktasında topluluk yeterince hızlı tempolu değil; “değilse değildir” diyeceksiniz lakin yeri geldiğinde atak bekliyorsunuz ama bulamıyorsunuz. Bu demonun dijitali de, kasedi de, CD’si de var. Kirli kayıt seven, yeraltını tırmalayan, çalınmış olan tarzı seven eski kafa bir arşivciyseniz Nihilistic Holocaust ile bağlantıya geçmenizi öneririm.


ATMOSPHERIC Webzine (Pol)
Są jeszcze na całym świecie maniacy kaset magnetofonowych. I to nie takich z wkładkami full kolor na lakierowanym papierze, którym nawet sobie dupy nie można podetrzeć, bo porani rów, ale po prostu z old schoolowymi czarno-białymi, klimatycznymi. We Francji takim komisarzem tape`ów jest Gabriel z Nihilistic Holocaust, stary freak, który zaczynał przygodę w undergroundzie ok. 20 lat temu. Właśnie w jego małej, podziemnej wytwórni ukazał się tasiemiec „Where Wolves Once Dwelled Demo 2014” francuskiej kapeli ATAVISMA. Zderzenie z pierwszymi dźwiękami może być wstrząsające dla kogoś, kto nie zna, nie pamięta muzy z ubiegłego wieku. Bowiem słuchacza atakuje strasznie szorstkie brzmienie, jakby rodem z lat 90-tych, a nawet wcześniejszych. A sama muzyka to często uprawiany wówczas death/doom w średnich i wolnych tempach, z charkoczącym, przeszywającym growlingiem, ogólnie mówiąc wisielczy i dołujący. Coś niesamowitego dla współczesnego fana metalu! A przecież „Where Wolwes Once Dwelled Demo 2014” to nie jest żadna reedycja, nagrania odgrzebane z czwartego dna zakurzonej szuflady, a demówka młodego zespołu! Zawiera tylko cztery kompozycje, trwające niespełna 20 minut. Pewne wzorce w nich zastosowane są wiernym odzwierciedleniem starusieńkich kanonów. Mają niesamowity, grobowy klimat. Są zróżnicowane w tempach i poprzecinane solówkami. A to że brzmią tak surowo, to niepowtarzalna cecha twórczości ATAVISMY. Dziękuję Francuzom za tak autentyczną muzę w iście old schoolowym stylu, z lat mojej młodości i w dodatku w stylu, na którym się wychowałam. Wiem, że takiego grania nie brakuje na całym świecie, ale w zalewie wymuskanych produkcji dzisiejszych „gwiazdeczek metalu” trudno do nich dotrzeć. A dla osób bez magnetofonów z pomocą przychodzi ukraińska wytwórnia Dead Center Records, która wydała „Where Wolves Once Dwelled Demo 2014” na płycie CD. [Kasia]


NOCTURNAL BATTLE OF CHARIOTS Webzine (Pol)
Najnowsze kasetowe wydawnictwo Nihilistic Holocaust przede mną, tym razem jest to Atavisma, debiutująca właśnie demosem „Where Wolves Once Dwelled”. Recenzja ta będzie w sumie krótka, bo i materiał nie należy do najdłuższych, ale przy tym idealnie sprawuje się jako klasyczny, kasetowy demos. Cztery numery, 20 minut muzyki… jakiej? Surowego, ponurego, diabli ciężkiego i obskurnego, starego doom / death! Gdybym miał porównać do kogoś innego nagrania Atavisma, to wskazałbym tutaj np. szwedzki Eternal Darkness! Podobne, głównie wolne tempa (acz nie tylko!), mroczny, dołujący klimat, cieżkie riffy, mające wyraźny szwedzki sznyt, czasem nawet wzbogacone fajną melodią a’la Swedish death metal. Dodaj jeszcze do tego nieco Autopsy, a z nowszych rzeczy choćby Disma i jesteśmy w domu. „Forsaken” to chyba najlepszy kawałek tutaj, ale generalnie uważam, że cały demos jest udany i trafił mi w bebechy idealnie, nawet pomimo surowej, szorstkiej produkcji. Co więcej, dodam, że ta surowizna jeszcze dodaje Atavisma uroku i ciężaru. Taaaaa, naprawdę fajne demo. Nic dodać, nic ująć; brać, jeśli lubujecie się w podobnych demosach! 7/10


DOOMMABBESTIA Blog (Ita)
Pensando alla Francia, le prime cose che ci vengono in mente sono: Parigi, Tour Eiffel, Baguette, Chance Elise, la Bastiglia, Robespierre....ed ora anche gli Atavisma dediti al death doom più marcio che si possa pensare.. Gli elementi ci sono tutti: registrazione approssimativa, distribuzione fisica su musicassetta, riffing old school e tematiche oscure.Ma oltre a questo c'è dell'altro? Intendo dire.. 'sti giovani riescono a dire qualcosa? No.
Sin dal primo pezzo "The Savage One" fino all'ultimo "Nature's Welfare" si vive una sensazione di deja vu totale e completa.
Ora, che gli Atavisma abbiano i Morbid Angel di "Altars of Madness" e "Blessed are the sick" come modello di vita è indubbio ma , purtroppo per loro, non hanno la loro genialità, e ciò rende l'intero lavoro, seppur grondante di attitudine, insipido.
Se avete la voglia matta di fare un salto nel tempo negli anni d'oro del death metal di un certo tipo, gli Atavisma fanno sicuramente per voi.


GOURMET ROADKILL Blog (Portugal)
ATAVISMA is a French band, formed in Paris somewhere in 2013, and “Where Wolves Once Dwelled” is their first release! They play death metal with an enormous doom influence (or is it the other way around?), changing tempos from the traditional and old-school run or they will get you, to the slow and miserable I can’t be bothered with anything in my life kind of pace! The overall sound is muddy and you can almost see the fumes coming out of the ground which, combined with the vocal tone, gives you the awkward feeling that something primordial and eerie is bound to happen at any time.
All four tracks share this sinister presence and, when their structure lines up with the grime, the whole demo seems to have been transported from past decades to present time. There’s nothing much here that can be associated with the modern death metal paladins and even the doom sections are closer to the genre’s past than to way it’s getting portrait nowadays. It all feels very traditional with an almost raw simplicity, like an opened window which allows you to have a look at something familiar you haven’t seen in a long time. Whether you’ll be happy to see it or not, that’s a whole different story.

Hello,

An interview of ATAVISMA is now available at this adress:

http://nihilistic.voila.net/Interviews/atavisma.htm

Vive le dooooooooooooooom