Atheist Unquestionable Presence CD

Rebounding from the death of its incomparable bassist, Roger Patterson, Atheist plunged ahead and released UNQUESTIONABLE PRESENCE in 1991. Even more complex and exploratory than PIECE OF TIME, UNQUESTIONABLE PRESENCE is considered one of the most influential metal albums of the early 1990s, inspiring artists like Death, Pestilence, Suffocation, and many others. Atheist's sound was enhanced by the addition of bassist Tony Choy (Cynic, Pestilence). The remastered edition features nine bonus tracks from the UNQUESTIONABLE PRESENCE recording sessions (featuring Patterson), along with extensive biographical information.

Despite the very positive reception that had greeted their bold first album, Atheist almost didn't last long enough to finish their second. Taking a break from recording to embark on a short tour, the band suffered a terrible blow when founding bassist Roger Patterson was killed in a horrifying Louisiana highway van crash. Shattered, but determined to finish their friend's last project at all costs, the remaining members drafted session bassist Tony Choy in order to get the job done, emerging with a landmark recording in the process. Indeed, whereas 1989's Piece of Time had been a shock, 1991's Unquestionable Presence was a revelation. With their sparing but highly effective use of melody (mostly nuances and accents during solos and choruses), challenging songs like "Unquestionable Presence," "Your Life's Retribution," and "Enthralled in Essence" advanced Atheist's uncompromisingly dense "death-jazz" to previously unscaled heights. Throughout the album, dissonant, lightning-speed guitar riffs, slap bass, and screwy time signatures collide to create a recipe at once more intricate and more approachable than its predecessor -- all the while keeping song lengths to manageable three to four minutes for maximum, concentrated impact. Matching the band's evident musical growth, vocalist Kelly Shaefer also stepped it up on the lyrical front, issuing inscrutably enigmatic, eyebrow-raising lines on par with the album's nearly impenetrable sonics. A daunting album to decipher, Unquestionable Presence is just as rewarding once decoded, and is still considered by experts to be one of the Floridian death metal scene's ultimate statements in progressive metal. [Unquestionable Presence's definitive CD reissue by Relapse Records renders any discussion about this being the ultimate Atheist album null and void; by including no less than eight pre-production demos containing the work of bassist and driving force Roger Patterson -- before his untimely passing prior to the actual album's recording. Granted, Patterson's singular talents were perhaps more noticeable on-stage than in the studio, and his replacement, Tony Choy, was no slouch himself, but there's no question that this rare material is what Atheist fans have been longing to hear. Additional upgrades include a pair of dissected versions of "Mother Man" and "And the Psychic Saw" (featuring separated bass and drum tracks, and rhythm tracks, respectively), full lyrics, informative liner notes, and reminisces from vocalist/guitarist Kelly Shaefer.] ~ Eduardo Rivadavia

Liner Note Author: Ula Gehret.

Recording information: Morrisound Studios, Tampa, FL (1991).

Photographer: Frank Stover.

Atheist: Kelly Shaefer (vocals, guitar); Randy Burkey (guitar); Tony Choy (bass guitar); Steve Flynn (drums).

Audio Remasterer: Colin Marston.

The Wire (p.53) - "[A] more complex and Progressive album, every song rocketing through multiple tricky time signatures and endless variations on already baffling riffs."