Roots into The Atomic Bomb Audition
The self-released third album by The Atomic Bomb Audition, Roots into the See, is a tricky proposition. In listening to its three vinyl-ready tracks – one short one and one extended one on Side A, an even more extended one on Side B – the impulse is to label it post-metal for the emphasis on ambience, mood and linear builds rather than traditional structures. That The Atomic Bomb Audition calls Oakland, California, home only adds to any Neurosis comparison one might want to make… on paper. The reality of Roots into the See is far more individualized than a superficial glance at the 38 minutes would have it, the longer tracks putting a focus on patient loud/quiet interplay and deceptively intricate layers of noise.
Each member of the four-piece – percussionist Brian Gleeson, bassist Jason Hoopes, guitarist Alee Karim, and electronics specialist/recording engineer The Norman Conquest (also of avant outfit Cosa Brava) – contribute vocals, so The Atomic Bomb Audition isn’t short on diversity of sound. As Roots into the See opens with the 3:56 “Limit,” the impression is that the band is going to specialize in a relatively straightforward modern-if-artsy brand of sludge. Practically all the ambience of the later two tracks, “Horizons” and “Bas,” is absent, as though the band decided to distill their approach to just its most abrasive moments. Vocals are screamed over loud crashes and feedback, and the general air of madness that pervades is all the more effective for its contrast to the methodical nature of the next two songs. I’m not sure its placement at the front of the record works as well as it might if the order of the vinyl were reversed – that is, “Bas” on Side A and “Limit” and “Horizons” on Side B – so that “Limit” could act as a go-between for the other two songs, but The Norman Conquest is an experienced engineer and Roots into the See is The Atomic Bomb Audition’s third album following 2008’s Light Will Remain and their Eleven Theatres debut, so one expects they have their reasoning for sequencing the tracks the way they did.
Hoopes’ bass is prevalent throughout the opening movement of “Horizons,” and its deep tone does well to set a groundwork of tension Karim’s guitar toys with and finally pays off. You can almost hear the foot pedal get kicked before the song gets heavy. That’s not to say The Atomic Bomb Audition telegraph the switch or really any of the moves on Roots into the See, just that the change comes at the right time. At their loudest on “Horizons,” they’re slower than “Limit,” and ambient vocals add to the doomed atmosphere and active percussion from Gleeson and The Norman Conquest’s engulfing electrical wash. At 6:48, the build begins anew, and for the next 10 minutes of the song’s total 17:46, The Atomic Bomb Audition execute a multi-faceted build that like that preceding, finds its ground in Hoopes’ playing but is made all the more engaging by the contrast in the drums – forward in the mix – and the ethereal psychedelia in the guitars. At these moments, The Atomic Bomb Audition sounds no more like Neurosis than they do Nancy Sinatra. It’s a rare song that runs for 17-plus minutes and still sounds like it’s cut short, but I expect “Horizons” could have just kept going till the tape ran out.
Vocals, presumably Gleeson’s, come on sooner on “Bas,” to which (if it’s not yet been made clear), all of Side B of Roots into the See is devoted. The Norman Conquest’s electronics seem to feature more throughout, and there are some laser sounds later in the song that brought a smile to my face, but the vocals and drums especially also make “Bas” work as well as it does. More than just droning, the layers of vocals show some genuine melodic capability, and through this, The Atomic Bomb Audition show off even more how much their sound is their own. Like “Horizons,” “Bas” is a build, but the increase in vocal presence lends a post-rock feel to the first four minutes of the song until the electronics really take hold with whispered vocals and guitar behind. Of the two apexes on the longer tracks of Roots into the See, that of “Bas” is more satisfying, a real emotional push accomplished when the vocals come to the fore just prior to the song’s halfway point. The rest of the song, driven still by the percussion but featuring more prominent guitar from Karim, is something like a sustained comedown, The Atomic Bomb Audition leading the audience skillfully through the closing movement of the album — no less dynamic than anything before.
Heavy in terms of its tones and its emotionality, Roots into the See is a nuanced and bold exercise. It manages to take the best parts of post-metal – the ambience, the rhythmic style and the provocative tonality – into its own context without falling prey to the now-tired clichés of the genre. Heavy psych is commonplace, but psychedelic metal isn’t, and The Atomic Bomb Audition make a good case for the distinction these three tracks, affecting a full sound that’s not overblown or reliant on traditional songwriting tactics. It’s clear this material has been worked on, expanded on, but it feels thought and not over-thought, which for this kind of music makes all the difference in the world. Recommended for anyone sure they’ve heard everything the underground has to offer.
The Atomic Bomb Audition’s website
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Tags: California, Oakland, The Atomic Bomb Audition, Unsigned bands
