Huata - Atavist Of Man (2011)

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Huata - Atavist Of Man (2011)

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In the metal world it seems that the genre one would want to look to when it comes to diversity and experimentation is doom metal. Despite existing since the very beginning of metal itself, doom only recently has gained critical and mild commercial success. This may very well be because of the many different sounds that genre has become associated with over the years, becoming an ingredient to seven other metal sub-genres over the course of its fourty-year existence. One of the most popular incarnations of the genre nowadays is stoner/doom, and this is mostly the style that Huata play. While "Atavast of Man" is certainly based on psychedelic, down tuned and groovy doom riffs, there’s other elements in the mix that adds a lot more darkness and occult to its blood then most stoner/doom releases are used too.

The first thing off the bat that becomes apparent is the bands love for organ keyboards and occult-themed sampling. This adds a somewhat supernatural feel to the album, being mildly chilling and creepy but not really evil or sinister. Huata also manage to throw in a lot of trippy, oscillating effects which gives it the spacey tone, reminiscent of X-Files/UFOs/Aliens that the likes of Ufomammut had perfected on records such as "Godlike Snake", and Huata perfectly integrate this atmosphere into their cult style.

As I mentioned before, the riffing on this record resembles stoner/doom a vast majority of the time. It’s colossal, slow and crushing as well as it is groovy, psychedelic and fuzzy. But where the riffs of most bands in this style mainly shoot for catchy and trippy melodies, the guitar work on this record also includes a lot of ominous and foreboding passages. As such, there are points on this record that almost feel like the equivalent to a post-metal and funeral doom combination, as it will have these incredibly atmospheric, slow, menacing doom passages, but topped with sustained, gruff yells. This combination emulates that same level of claustrophobia one gets from funeral doom, while also having the more emotionally cathartic and emotional aspect of post-metal. But while this record can be dirging and more malefic then your usual stoner/doom record, it also engages in far more upbeat, pure stoner metal aspects as well, such as fast, galloping riffs or hard rock guitar solos.

The bass guitar, strangely, doesn’t seem to have much of a presence on this record. It may be that the guitars are tuned so low that you can’t tell the difference, but there were no points where I felt the bass guitar jumped out at you, which is unusual for stoner/doom. The drums definitely don’t disappoint though, as they smash and demolish the listener like a wrecking ball. At points the drumming is somewhat drowned out by the many layers present on this record, but all in all their presence is as thunderous and colossal as everything else. Vocally, the performance given by Ronan is fantastic. Utilizing many different tones and styles, from rough, stoner metal singing to visceral sludge metal yelling to bloody Mongolian throat singing, Ronan does everything he can to avoid the general vocal style of stoner/doom: Distorted, fuzzy vocals or bellowed chanting. These many different vocal styles really helps the occultist preaching that the lyrics entail come to life and are vital to the themes of "Atavast of Man".

This record is crushing, and such a bloody magnificent collection of various doom styles. It contains complimentary elements from the Occult (Blood Ceremony, Witchcraft), Stoner, Doom and Sludge metal styles, yet doesn’t feel like it’s worshipping any particular bands from any of them. The only band I can really say is relatable to Huata are fellow Euro-Stoners Ufommamut, as both shoot for unsettling, psychedelic doom. Regardless, this is something crushing and magnificent, and any fan of the aforementioned genres should check this baby out!

~ www.metal-archives.com