Maybe it those long Nordic nights, but Finland is quickly delivering a reputation as the fountain spring for a distinctly melancholic brand of modern metal. Dark, disconcerting and discombobulating, Atlas distil the dichotomy of their native land into a crushing sound that unifies the beautiful and beastly. Latest album Sunder finds this quintet scutpting their sound into a temple made of ice; a glittering prize that promises all sorts dark delights to the intrepid explorer. Featuring eight tracks that encapsulate the very best of metal in the 2020’s Sunder seems certain to cast its magical spell over the world.

With no hint of the coming storm, opening track ‘Sermon Of The Dying Light’ is an otherworldly instrumental, a sixty second soundscape that offers no convenient point of reference and that makes the explosion that is ‘Tower’ all the more potent. With elements of metalcore and modern and traditional metal all thrown into the band’s cauldron, a vast and expansive sound is created, a feeling of something so big it can barely be comprehended, and like the biblical structure of Babel, ‘Tower’ casts a long shadow over the listener and makes them feel infinitesimal beneath its enormity. With heavy looping riffs which cast their nets far and wide, alongside unforgiving rhythms and caustic vocals, Atlas are a band who are hard to ignore, but if you have a penchant towards the heavy, why would you want to?

There’s an almost indefinable aspect to the band’s sound that makes people lose their sh*t (but in the nicest possible way, of course) and when the opening of ‘Salt And Sulfer’ pours from the speakers, your first thought will be on starting a mosh pit. If you have a pulse and a set of ears then ‘Salt And Sulfer’ will initiate a response in the listener, as such it is not recommended for somnambulists, but would make the perfect cure for narcolepsy. The weight and volume contained within the likes of ‘Coven Of Two’ means that Sunder isn’t the kind of album you put on as background music, rather it demands your full attention and your efforts will be rewarded with some of the heaviest music this side of the millennium. However, Atlas aren’t all about the bombastic and the band are wise enough to insert plenty of light within their sound (‘Altar Of Your Love’), with the lither moments acting as a foil to make the heavy all the more…heavier.

With a focus on Northern mysticism and Finnish mythology, Sunder is an album linked thematically and has the feel of a concept record, making it a modern musical sacrifice to ancient gods. Isn’t it time you joined the ritual?

• Sunder is released via Odyssey Music on 20th February 2026.
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Track List:

1. Sermon Of The Dying Light
2. Tower
3. Salt And Sulfer
4. I Whisper Your Name Like A Curse
5. Coven Of Two
6. Altar Of Your Love
7. Anodyne
8. Sunder