Ataraxy - The Last Mirror (2022)^{Release ID: 38352}

Ataraxy are another band that are new to me. I'm always interested in releases that contain both conventional death metal and death doom metal genre tags, so I went into this somewhat hopeful of enjoying it. Now that I've spent some time with The Last Mirror, I'm not convinced that the death doom aspect deserves a primary (most of the tracks are pure death), but I accept it could go either way. Regardless, this album takes me right back to the 90s, bringing to mind several bands from the period, including Asphyx, Death and at times Bolt Thrower. With all the technical and progressive death metal albums coming out lately, it's actually been quite refreshing to hear something that just does the basics extremely well, and could have come out of that very comfortable (for me) early era of the genre. The production is powerful, and there are heaps of wonderfully dark and atmospheric riffs throughout. Of particular note is the way the band utilise drums in combination with those riffs, often transitioning from one section to the next in the most impactful ways. There's very little you won't have heard before on offer, and the vocalist does lack emotional range (despite sounding a bit like Chuck Schuldiner), but this is still a very solid and enjoyable conventional death metal album that occasionally delves the doomier depths. Check out The Bell That Constantly Sounds or Decline to see if it's for you.

2022 RANKING (60 releases so far)

10. Messa - Close - 4 stars

11. Ataraxy - The Last Mirror - 4 stars

12. Det eviga leendet - Reverence - 4 stars

2022 DEATH RANKING (14 releases so far)

2. Artificial Brain - Artificial Brain - 4.5 stars

3. Ataraxy - The Last Mirror - 4 stars

4. Pharmacist - Flourishing Extremities on Unspoiled Mental Grounds - 4 stars

2022 DOOM RANKING (16 releases so far)

5. Messa - Close - 4 stars

6. Ataraxy - The Last Mirror - 4 stars

7. Tzompantli - Tlazcaltiliztli - 4 stars

The Spanish death doom four-piece return with their third album, four years on from Where All Hope Fades. They very quickly drop back into the same groove and produce another very accomplished album of doomed-out death metal dirges. If you are here to find something new and original then you are most definitely barking up the wrong tree with these guys, but if you need to feed your downtuned death metal urge then you could do far worse. 

The Last Mirror isn't the most brutally heavy iteration of death doom you will ever hear, but there are some pretty good riffs here and the combination of those distorted riffs and cleaner, bell-like lead work is very effective indeed. Vocalist Javi doesn't possess the deepest of death growls, but his vocals have a certain desperate earnestness to them that, along with the cleaner guitar work adds an effective melancholy air to proceedings that works in contrast to the more lethal crunchiness of the riffing. 

Overall, if you are want originality look elsewhere, if you are happy to give time to a well-done reworking of firmly established genre tropes then I would definitely say go for it with this.