Review by Ben for Atheist - Unquestionable Presence (1991)

Atheist's Unquestionable Presence is a perfect example of what a death metal band made up of insanely talented musicians can achieve if they let their creativity and open mindedness reign supreme. This album has almost not constraints and it's for this reason that it manages to be so incredibly captivating for its admittedly short running time. One of the most impressive things about the album is that it somehow avoids coming across as pretentious. With all the variation in style and masterful musicianship throughout, Atheist were in real danger of pushing the boundaries of decency. But these guys obviously knew exactly what they were doing, placing awesome heavy death riffs between all the fretboard wankery, bizarre time changes and jazz fusion.

Steve Flynn's drumming is out of this world! Tony Choy is one of the very best bass players I've ever heard and considering he also played on Cynic's Focus and Pestilence's Testimony of the Ancients, is a total legend of the scene. But it's Rand Burkey and Kelly Shaeffer that steal the show. The constant flow of jaw dropping riffs and leads is simply astounding. Atheist have recently reformed for a reunion tour, but I must wonder whether they can pull it off considering Burkey is unavailable and Schaeffer was forced to give up playing guitar live due to tendonitis and carpal tunnel. Whoever takes over has seriously big shoes to fill. Highlights for me are Mother Man, Unquestionable Presence, Your Life's Retribution and An Incarnation's Dream. This album deserves its place among the elite of extreme metal!