Once again ATARAXIE released a double CD and once again I am not convinced. If you liked the previous three albums you have already this one on your list and I guess you can skip this review. If you are not familiar with the music the band from France is delivering, the title of the debut "Slow Transcending Agony" from the year 2005 should give you a hint. On "Résignés" you will find four songs, each one with a running time between 17 and 25 minutes, and this fact alone indicates that the music is far beyond the usual schemata. As a solid base serves Doom Metal, at some moments played so slow that I felt reminded of John Cage and his composition "Organ2/ASLSP" where "ASLSP" stands for "As Slow As Possible" and while the premiere was clocking at 30 minutes it is currently played on a church organ with a playing time of 639 years. But back to ATARAXIE. The correct term to describe the music should be Funeral Doom, because the guitar riffs are evoking strong feelings of helplessness, weakness and disarray. Furthermore the vocals are performed in a deep, grunting way. At some moments Drone Metal influences and even faster parts can be found throughout the playing time. But the essence remains imposing and solid Doom Metal. If I understand the approach of the band it is their aim to appeal at all senses and from this point of view the band accomplished their mission. Despite it is just music it is more than music and demands discipline and a focused listener willing to spent more than 80 minutes of hard work (and believe me, listening to ATARAXIE is hard work) and then only grief, misery and melancholy is the the result of this exhausting effort. Which brings me back to the point why I do not like this album. Discipline, hard work and concentration may be appropriate when learning for an exam or house cleaning. But that is not my approach to music, this album is simply too demanding, complicated and challenging for me. Anyone brave enough to take up the challenge can find further information here www.facebook.com/ataraxiedoom and here www.deadlight.fr

Mirco Szymyslik

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