| 'Elements' is the final chapter in the story of a band many years ahead of its time. Its complex arrangements fused disparate sounds such as delicate jazz, deep funk grooves, Latin rhythms, flamenco guitar stylings, and samba interludes with plenty of dark and blistering metal chops to create music that confused as many as it pleased. A fitting swansong for the unique entity that Atheist had become, 'Elements' was almost equally regaled and reviled for the ambitious ideas it put into motion upon its release in 1993. In the years since the band split, 'Elements' has been recognized as a crucial piece of Atheist history and a marker for the wider acceptance of heavy, dynamic, progressive metal. Includes a live radio performance from 1992. |
