ATHORN’s “Necropolis“ predicts the apocalyptic end of the world of tomorrow

What would happen if a meteorite hit the earth and turned mankind into the living dead? With their new concept album “Necropolis“, ATHORN dive right into their own story, revolving around a doomsday-like wasteland with space western references and prove that different musical influences can in fact be combined into one brilliant end result. In order to describe the chaos that ensues at the end of the era of civilization, ATHORN throw every style between progressive Melodic Death and Power Metal into one creative melting pot. With their autonomously written and produced concept album, which was recorded in vocalist Carsten Frank‘s Waveland Productions Studio, the five Germans break the limits of the established genres and showcase their instrumental skills as well as their energized professionalism. Even their 2010 debut “Phobia“, released through AFM Records, was celebrated by the metal press as well as Blind Guardian‘s mastermind Hansi Kürsch with the statement «Well done! That is a complete knockout!». Their second album “Necropolis“ will be released on September 16, 2016 through Dr. Music Records and will provide for just as much enthusiasm.

ATHORN, who formed in 2008, are hungry and demonstrate that clearly: The guitar play of both Björn Spier and Tobias Liedke is reminiscent of an idealistic continuation of old Sanctuary or Nevermore here and there, while vocalist Carsten Frank comes up with one catchy melody after another and places these right over the constantly thrilling grooves. The concise, powerful drum play of Philipp Horst and the precise bass lines of Matthias Brandt underline the varied songs with the needed momentum. The intro to “Another Day In Hell“ finally marks the beginning of the end. Full of atmosphere, string players and a newscaster prepare for the following events, until a harmonica in the style of Ennio Morricone kicks in, creating pictures of a bleak landscape in front of your inner eye. The opener itself rushes ahead with full force and the melancholic melodies give a description of the desperate life in the apocalyptic world, which temporarily manifests in brutal blast beat attacks. “The Dark Breed“ continues this idea, with the living dead on the rise, and so one encounters groovy aggressive parts combined with ATHORN’s typically melodic interjections. The diverse vocals of frontman Carsten Frank pull out all the stops and couldn’t be more fitting: here, despair and anger are going hand in hand. The next highlight is the stomping “Cabin On The Hill“ that tells about a lonely warrior whose shattered thoughts are torturing him; is he the chosen one to save the world and free mankind? “Born In Flames“ however strikes some softer tones and begins with a gentle acoustic part accompanied by polyphonic vocals. The protagonist has to sacrifice himself in order to give the world a new chance. Finally, “Of Pawns And Dragons“ fascinates with its gloomy orchestration and in the final moments of the infernal wasteland, something new arises from the tragedy of mankind, symbolizing a new beginning.

The spectacular creative overload is presented in the form of a well-produced high-quality music video for the first single “Another Day In Hell“, which practically summarizes the entire story of the album in an audiovisual panorama and provides a first glimpse at the approaching apocalypse. With this epochal clip, skillfully arranged by vocalist and director Carsten Frank, ATHORN have every right to brag and thereby open up a box that is still looking for its equals within the Metal scene. The mix of spectacular 3D animations, the band’s performance in front of a burning inferno and the thrilling storyline that could be a crossover of The Walking Dead and Mad Max, ignites the flames instantly and leaves the viewer’s eyes glued to the screen. The longplayer’s eleven songs combined with the atmospheric artwork, also created by all-rounder Carsten Frank, result in a well-balanced overall package. Starting in mid-September, you can see it for yourself because that’s when “Necropolis“ will be released as a sophisticated digipak in stores as well as a super limited special edition metal box including various goodies, which will only be available through the band’s website or at live shows.Dr. Music Promotion