Vancouver, BC, Canada, melodic death metal band Atavistia has been quite active lately. Their last full length, “Cosmic Warfare,” was released in 2023, but in December of last year, the band decided to release a “reforged” version of their 2020 release, “The Winter Way.” With most of it rerecorded and all of it remixed and remastered, it represented a reimagining that the band was happy with, and I, for one, can attest that it is a night and day difference, in a good way. This also paved the way for news of a brand new album , “Old Gods Awaken,” which the band just released in May.

“Old Gods Awaken” sees a bit of an identity shift, or perhaps as indicated by the album title, an awakening of something from the past that is now fresh and new. The album retains the melodic blackened death metal with occasional progressive tendencies the band is known for, but it is heavily infused with folk influence, reminding me a lot of older Ensiferum or Equilbrium. Like these bands, the extreme elements are prevalent, but the folk influences bring in a variety of cool melodies and atmosphere that will get your head banging and your voice singing along. The speed is incessant, blastbeats and crushing riffs blazing along, while searing guitar leads and epic orchestration infiltrate and permeate the fabric of each song. The vocals bias toward blackened death growls but weave in a healthy dose of soaring cleans and choir like chants, blending aggression with a folksy feel. Acoustic guitar and strings make appearances, adding character and depth, while dynamic shifts add to the moody atmosphere. There is an overarching cinematic feel that makes the album feel big at times, not unlike the grandiosity you get from a well-written symphonic metal album. Listening to these songs makes you feel like you are embarking on a fantastical journey, unsure of what you will encounter, but ready to go to battle and enjoy the adventure!

Short intro “Raise All Thy Horns” starts like a movie or video game soundtrack, giving off Pirates of the Caribbean or Elder Scrolls vibes, complete with creaking wooden planks and folksy symphonic atmosphere. It transitions seamlessly into “Mystic Tavern,” which was also the first single for the album. It starts with a blaze of melodeath fury, slows down to soak you in folksy atmosphere, then knocks you over as it races ahead. Chant-like vocals and searing guitar leads are front and center, with thirsty anthemic cries to “Raise All Thy Horns!” connecting the listener back to the intro. The folksy blackened attack immediately reminds of early Equilibrium, while many of the more cinematic melodic moments add Ensiferum and Wind Rose vibes, common themes throughout the album. The song biases toward speed, the aggressive harsh vocals melding well with the thunderous drums and flaming riffs, but the band does a great job interleaving tempo and dynamic shifts that add to the folksy flair. The clean vocals work as a nice dichotomy to the harsh, and well-timed acoustic guitar and orchestration add texture while providing a reprieve before punching you again. The meandering guitar leads are phenomenal, adding both beautiful melody and ominous atmosphere at different points, all while keeping the song driving ahead. You think the song is done as it retreats into a cool folksy refrain, reflecting back to the intro, before one final burst to a fast and furious ending. 

“Seeker of Time” continues the folksy blackened melodeath assault, racing ahead as a folk-tinged harmonized guitar lead soars over speedy drums and gnarly growls. About a minute in sees a shift to a narrative approach, complete with backing cleans, before returning to the cadence the song began. Not long and the pace slows considerably, anthemic soaring cleans while cinematic orchestration envelopes everything, bringing that movie soundtrack vibe back. Slowly, the guitars and vocals layer back, briefly explodes, and reprises the more narrative-driven feel as it closes out.

The opening of “To a New World” delivers epic sounding folk melodies, complete with a jaw harp, evolving into a melodic folksy death cadence. The verse blends frenetic fury with magnanimous orchestration, and the chorus melodies are super catchy, mixing both harsh and cleans in a way that will make you want to sing along. The second half of the song really amps up the aggression, blastbeats pummeling a path as the bombast of the orchestration takes centerstage. The ending salvo reprises the intro before wrapping up one final time with the chorus.

“I skogens djup” is sung entirely in Swedish and really embraces that Scandinavian feel, racing out of the gate with symphonic black metal fury soaked in bombastic orchestration, guitars and keys alternating between a game of echo and heterophonic tandem. The chorus features more of a folk bent with chants and gang vocals juxtaposed against the growls. The second verse amps up the chaos even more, magnanimous in its impact, then settles into a flangey guitar that makes way for a brief bridge. A short guitar solo and striking symphonic flourishes transition to one final sprint to the end. 

“Goddess of My Dreams” starts slow, with beautiful acoustic guitar joined by strings and steeped with atmosphere. It briefly teases by picking up the pace, only to settle into a lush clean vocal-driven folk melody. A slow build adds layers, including complementary harsh vocals and soaring cleans, before ramping to a driving mid-pace. This song is a study in building around a base melody and varying the tempos and layers throughout, creating myriad textures that remain connected. There are great guitar leads, clever layering of soaring cleans and harsh vocals, and deep infusion of folk melodies and cinematic orchestration.

“Ride the White Storm” returns to the fury Atavistia does so well, epic orchestration infiltrating every aspect of the melodic aggression, blastbeats abounding amidst the melodic guitar leads. A slight ebb around the two and a half minutes mark catapults into blastbeat aggression juxtaposed against soaring cleans that approach earworm territory, digressing into a cinematic interlude with a near acapella vocal refrain that is also super catchy. The fury returns, maintaining the melodic intensity as the cleans are replaced with growls. This transitions to a killer extended guitar solo, then reprises the soaring cleans over thunderous blastbeats. One final chorus yields to an epic close.

The title track closer “Old Gods Awaken” is an 11-minute opus that covers a lot of ground. It starts slow and deliberate, like the opening act to a film, transitions into folksy melodies and cinematic orchestration over blastbeats, and continues to meander as the song progresses. Tempo and dynamic shifts are key to the fabric of the song, featuring regular transitions of harsh and cleans, a variety of instruments that give a larger than life sound, and plenty of speedy aggression infused with melody. This song keeps you on your toes, painting a picture of myriad textures. For example, a symphonic black metal assault with choir-like folk vocals around two thirds of the way transitions into a brief guitar solo that follows with a tease of syncopated blackened riffs, nifty drum fills, and orchestration. You are next greeted with impassioned soaring cleans, tortured vocals, and part 2 of the guitar solo, before returning back to blastbeat fury. There is definitely more of a prog vibe underlying this song as compared to the rest of the album, and I absolutely love it.

It can be risky to reinvent yourself, but Atavistia has done a great job doing so without losing their identity. There is plenty of heft and melody to go around, and the folk influences are integrated very well. The 43 minutes run time seems to fly by whenever I listen, and I have had this album on repeat since release day. Their sound also translates extremely well live, and the intensity of the album is exponentially magnified in a live setting. You owe it to yourself to check out this album!