An Epic/Spoken-word Doom/Horror Folk supergroup project. Started by Avant-garde writer Brian Horustopheles Labrecque and dark metal multi-instrumentalist Paul Dinenthal Taylor. March 10th, 2023, saw the band releasing their debut studio album, A Tale Of Pentacles. The album was released through Yoga Records.
Introduction:
Atheist Alien, A Tale Of Pentacles: This review will evaluate every aspect of the album, from its intricate musical composition to its production. Our analysis will provide valuable insights to help you determine if this album is worth adding to your collection.
The First Three Sins of A Tale Of Pentacles
Let’s start by discussing the first three sins of Atheist Alien and their album, A Tale Of Pentacles.
The First Sin, The Strings/Keys: Involves in omitting all electro instruments, and replacing them with sixties occult keys and dark Moog synth washes and sequences. The Second Sin, The Vocals: Involves in dark spell-casting spoken words. The Third Sin—The Percussions: Delves into the vast world of mid-tempo/slow drum strikes/fill and beats.
The Fourth Sin: Overall Discussion: Epic, horrific, dark and doomy… yet new, fresh, unique and poetic…
Before delving into this music, this is not just music — but something else -this forbidden fruit of a piece of art might not be anyone’s cup of tea. Still, this could be for you if you like something different and avant-garde.
A Tale Of Pentacles was created by avant-garde writer Brain Horostopheles Labrecque and dark metal multi-instrumentalist (Dinenthal’s dark, evocative music stamps the words into the aether) Paul Dinenthal Taylor.
“A Tale Of Pentacles, which includes nine dark and epic spoken word poetry traditions of the Iliad, the Mahabharata, and Edgar Allan Poe, fused with the dark, unrelenting brutality of doom songs, that would gratify fans of Dinenthal, Solitude Aeturnus, Candlemass and Lost Requiem.”
As soon as the listener presses that play button, one is welcome to the self-titled opening piece, A Tale Of Pentacles, and the following eight dark-epic (chapters) pieces. Where this dark musical spectrum is something for that moment of turning off all modern devices and finding that right moment to drift away and relax with rich red wine and step into the dark void of a musical spectrum.
A Tale Of Pentacles delivers and provides the listener’s ears and soul with this new, fresh, unique -poetic, epic, dark and doomy. “(where Brian and Paul have created this musical fruit of art)” with spoken words, instead of singing. Thus creating a New Musical Art of Sin — “Spoken-word Doom Metal.”
A concept where the music takes the listener on an epic journey and an epic story inked -which tells “the story of drunken gods conversing with mortals through multidimensional fevered dreams.”
As one continues their journey and dives deeper within the vortex of the walls of reality, are relentlessly distorted in this dark epic tale. The listener’s ears and soul encounter a musical spectrum that consists of incredible music and instrumentation/vocal fruit of art. Each composition/characteristic such as tempo, sound, atmosphere, instrumentation/vocal is convenient to place at the right moment. Provided by well-experience and professional devilmanship which consist of keyboards/synth, drums and vocals.
Who keys/synths are supplied by Paul, providing the piece with sixties occult keys and dark Moog synth washes and sequences, mid-tempo/slow drum strikes/fill, and beats provided by Simon Škrlec (Sinister).
The vocal artistry is provided by “the voice of doom” himself, Robert Lowe (ex-Solitude Aeturnus, and ex-Candlemass) on the sixth track Stone Tape Theory. Nita Morrigan provides the vocals on the seventh track, Testimony Of Those Who Hate You.
The album comes to an end with the last song, White Deceivers. We want to give a shoutout to Atheist Alien for letting us review their album, A Tale Of Pentacles. Now, we’re going to wrap it up by talking about the final three sins and concluding the review.
You’re Listening to “A Tale Of Pentacles”
PlayThe Last Three Sins
Let’s discuss the last three sins, our thoughts on Atheist Alien and their album, A Tale Of Pentacles.
The Fifth Sin, The Memorabilia: Is that for us, A Tale Of Pentacles is a release that’s different and dark, a release that could sit on the bookcase between (either) Dennis Wheatley (Devil’s Rides Out), Anton LaVey, E.A. Poe or H.P. Lovecraft.
At the same time, A Tale Of Pentacles has this vibe of (authors mention before) Satanic, Occult, horror, and cosmos horror of “Lovecraftian Horror” and doom metallers Solitude Aeturnus, and Candlemass.
The Sixth Sin, The Artwork:
The artwork is very fitting for the music.
The Seventh Sin, Disrelish:
Nothing to disrelish within the musical spectrum of Atheist Alien, and their album, A Tale Of Pentacles.
This concludes the Atheist Alien, A Tale Of Pentacles review.
Track-Listing:
- A Tale Of Pentacles
- Forced Lava
- Nightmare Fuel
- Purification Sermon
- Satanic Panic
- Stone Tape Theory
- Testimony Of Those Who Hate You
- The Serpent And The Master
- White Deceivers
Atheist Alien is:
- Dinenthal – all synthesizers
- Horostopheles – vocals
- Robert Lowe – vocals
- Nita Morrígan – duet vocals
