EPK – Athemon – Self-Titled (2021)
For fans of Nevermore, Pain of Salvation, Opeth, Gojira, Mastodon
“Full of dark and enigmatic atmospheres, Self-Titled Athemon is a 50-minute concept album divided into nine songs, which tells a story about self-awareness.
The instrumental consists of two guitars, a bass, and drums that together form an ideal atmosphere for those who enjoy a deeper journey. Self-Titled Athemon is a creative album that seeks to forge the perfect alloy of darkness and beauty.” – Athemon
Album Title: Self-Titled
Release Date: October 11, 2021
Label: Independent
Distribution: Tunecore
Athemon.com | Facebook.com/fly.athemon | Instagram.com/fly.athemon
L-R – Athemon Current Line Up | Adriano Ribeiro (Guitar, Vocals) | Tom MacLean (Bass, Production)
Photo Credits: Adriano’s picture: José Simonetti, Tom’s picture: Sunny Dhaliwal
Out of a love for progressive and intricate music, two musicians crossed paths online during the beginning of the Covid global lockdown to create an everlasting experience. Living on different continents, bassist/producer Tom MacLean (To-Mera, ex-Haken) in the UK and vocalist and guitarist Adriano Ribeiro in Brazil, used the digital world to their advantage and give rise to their new band Athemon.
“Adriano sent me his demo and it gave me goosebumps, so I was keen to get involved,” says MacLean.
From a significant evolution between demos to their final introductory recordings, MacLean and Ribeiro created a bonding friendship over musical interests that created the perfect environment to allow them to evolve and conceive their debut full length.
Formed as a gateway to express their art using progressive metal music, Athemon will debut their self-titled album on October 11th, 2021. The concept record is meant to be heard as one long 50-minute track divided into nine parts that will engage listeners on a journey that’s enigmatic, deep in sentiment, and inject a fresh outlook of self-perception during its intense and dark progressive atmosphere.
For the album’s recording, the band invited a special guest drummer from Brazil, Gledson Gonçalves who added his percussionist touch to compliment each one of the nine tracks.
“As nobody goes alone in this world (even being totally alone inside one’s own mind), the songwriting process had a lonely beginning, but a very collaborative end. The beginning of this project was driven by Adriano, but nothing would fit so well if it wasn’t for the amazing connection the three of us have (Adriano, Tom, and our special guest on drums, Gledson),” says MacLean.
The lyrics for the album were written by bassist Adrian Ribeiro and were inspired by thoughts of how confusing reality can be if you are not taking care of your emotional side. “The thin line between what’s real and what’s not is an endless world,” adds Ribeiro.
New fans of Athemon, can expect much more to come from the pair as they already have plans to launch their second album by the end of 2022, which they are currently composing with promising results.
As for the live spectacle of Athemon, for now, the band will let the music flow until the duo can connect from across the Atlantic for their first in-person jam session.
Recommended for fans of Nevermore, Pain of Salvation, Opeth, Gojira and Mastodon, Athemon’s self-titled debut will be available on all digital platforms on October 11th.
Fun Facts:
Until 2013, Tom was the original bassist in Haken and guitarist in To-Mera. He believes he’s one of a very small group of people to have opened for Dream Theater in two different bands.
The album as a whole explained by the band:
Full of dark and enigmatic atmospheres, Self-Titled Athemon is a 50-minute concept album divided into nine songs, which tells a story about self-awareness. The instrumental consists of two guitars, a bass, and drums that together form an ideal atmosphere for those who enjoy a deeper journey. Self-Titled Athemon is a creative album that seeks to forge the perfect alloy of darkness and beauty.
Track By Track Explained by the band:
1. Perception: It is the opening, instrumental music that carries evil cords and drags the listener into the enigma that will be presented. It’s the opening of a journey.
2. Whispers: With an intense instrumental, Whispers illustrates the principle of self-awareness, where our character starts a conversation with himself about echoes he can no longer avoid. The whispers of the mind that can no longer be shut down.
3. The Glass Hindered Us: With a strong chorus, The Glass hindered Us takes on a self-observation beginning, however, what you see is still blurry. The replacement of whispers by the observation of the image itself, but still in the form of two ghosts. Where there is an observer, there is another in observation. Two voices, one individual. In the end, our character realizes that he is the ghost.
4. Different From What Was Missing: Different From What Was Missing is a song that starts with a clean sound in a mysterious setting, and ends with an instrumental explosion. At this point in the journey, our character is faced with the faults. A grotesque expression of himself. A monster that he always tried to avoid, but that he now has to face out of the need to connect with himself, out of the need to reach out. From the observation of their own behavior and the acceptance of the piece that they tried so hard to avoid, then a seed of change is perceived.
5. Seed of Change: Seed of Change carries a wide variety of moments, it’s the song with the most variety of riffs. From the ugly and heavy to the beautiful and pleasant, as if struggling to understand how to get out of the commonplace, our traveler enters the field of action. This song is about returning to the path that was built. Almost like something inevitable. When you realize that you are the monster, you can then dismantle what was collapsing. Observation can fix what has escaped until then.
6. I Voice of Mine: I Voice of Mine opens the beautiful part of the journey. A more sensitive instrumental. For our traveler, self-questioning becomes inevitable, as he can no longer deflect thoughts that have always been there. He then realizes that he has all the time he needs to explore its magnitude. A beauty that makes you understand the delight of being what you are. He then starts to preserve more of his time and conversation in mind.
7. Reaching Deepness: In Reaching Deepness the band explores two musical climates. A melodic atmosphere finds at the end a thoughtful and striking atmosphere. A representation that even knowing yourself better, there will still be many internal battles to confront. Less timeless, our protagonist enjoys his existential dive, free-falling for more enjoyment. It is possible to reach more depth in himself when he no longer avoids those parts that have always been repudiated.
8. Greatest Understanding: Finally, in Greatest Understanding, through the symbology of the confrontation of a dark dream that represents fear and discomfort, our character understands the power he has. The power of self-transformation. To be able to transform is to evolve. So he understands that he is a finite part of a great mystery. Subjectively, then, he becomes a god of his own and starts to taste what is outside the cocoon he himself built. And so he flies.
9. Birth: Birth closes our journey with an instrumental full of beautiful melodies, especially the last one, a very sensitive theme that represents free flight, something possible for every form of consciousness.
Album Title: Self-Titled
Release Date: October 11, 2021
Label: Independent
Distribution: Tunecore
Track Listing:
1. Perception (3:16)
2. Whispers (5:29)
3. The Glass Hindered Us (3:57)
4. Different From What Was Missing (5:23)
5. Seed of Change (7:25)
6. I Voice of Mine (8:12)
7. Reaching Deepness (6:42)
8. Greatest Understanding (5:54)
9. Birth (4:01)
Album Length: 50:20
All songs performed by: Athemon
• All songs written by: Athemon
• Produced by: Tom MacLean
• Mixed by: Tom MacLean @ Twelve Tone Studio
• Mastered by: Tony Lindgren @ Fascination Street Studios
• Album Artwork by: Luigi Quarta
Album Band Line Up:
Adriano Ribeiro (Guitars, Vocals)
Tom MacLean (Bass)
Gledson Gonçalves (session Drums)
Discography:
2021 – Self-Titled – LP (Athemon)
