I have been an Atomic Opera fan ever since I heard For Madmen Only. I always liked their somewhat unique blend of the Houston sound (the famed King's X groove and crunch) with lush melodies and eclectic musical arrangements. I would daresay that this new release, Gospel Cola, is their best disc to date.
This CD perhaps sees Atomic Opera's farthest departure from their similarities to bands like King's X, which was most evident on their Madmen... release. Imagine the crunch of King's X, with many similar-sounding guitar tones, combined with eclectic instrumentation, lush vocals, and a very artsy approach. This description really doesn't do the disc justice, but it does give a small glimpse into its musical excellence. The songs range from fairly heavy, to a good mix of heavy and lushly melodic, to slow and artsy while retaining a heavy edge. I just love the diverse instrumentation -- guitars, dulcimers, pipe and Hammond organs, harmonicas, recorders -- and no matter what is being played, each song lands a solid punch to the gut that leaves the listener salivating for more. Combine that with the production being top-notch, and you have a winner.
Lyrically, this may be the boldest Atomic Opera CD to date. The disc opens with "Jesus Junk:" "They'll know we're Christians by our love / ...of Junk," which talks about Christians who cling just to things that are "Christianese," essentially describing these things as junk. Throughout the disc, they touch on some of the darker sides of Christianity, but they also touch on areas of hope, such as is seen in "Doxology:" "In a perfect world / We'll find the questions / In a world without end."
I just cannot recommend this CD enough. If you love bands like King's X or the Galactic Cowboys, or if you are just a fan of tremendously done crunchy, groovy rock music that's a bit artsy and somewhat eclectic, then you owe it to yourself to pick up this CD today.
Other coverage for this album
The Phantom Tollbooth 2000Reviewed by Alex KlagesAtomic Opera has resurfaced from being in the realm of the independent artist to being back on a label. A lot has changed for the band since their last label-backed effort, For Madmen Only. Where that was an exercise in the excesses of pop-metal, this most recent album finds Frank Hart, Kemper Crabb, Ryan Birsinger, and John Simmons creating a hard rock work which is equal parts metal, medieval,…The Phantom Tollbooth 2000Reviewed by Steven S. BaldwinAtomic Opera are an atypical hard rock band. Sure, Kansas had a violinist, and Jethro Tull had a flutist, but Atomic Opera sports Kemper Crabb playing a whole host of medieval-sounding instruments, including the mandolin, dulcimer, recorder, bouzouki, ocarina, and the harmonica. This gives Atomic Opera an unusual and decidedly ancient vibe to their otherwise contemporary, postmodern metal. With…Dead Zine 2000Reviewed by SORGFrank Hart and company are back with this newest edition to the saga that is Atomic Opera. If you bought the band's Penguin Dust cd and were a bit disappointed then you might want to give this band another chance. Not that Penguin Dust was a bad album, cause it wasn't, it's just that Gospel Cola seems to pick up where For Madmen Only left off. Big thick rhythms, nice harmonies (ala King's X…Similar sounding releases
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