The German metalcore band, Breathe Atlantis, (Nico Schiesewitz- vocals, Jan Euler- guitar, Lasse Weigang- bass, Silas Fischer- drums) has delivered another knockout performance! Their fourth studio album, “Overdrive” will be released March 18, 2022, through Arising Empire. Following the success of the band’s 2019 “Soulmade” album, Breathe Atlantis teamed up with producer Andy Posdziech (Any Given Day) to produce the band’s most mature release in their ten-year career.
The opening track, “Break the Silence,” holds true to its title- the band lashes out with a massive riff and aggressive vocals. This song is a great intro to the album as it mixes heaviness and melody. The song was released as a single on February 11th and the official music video has already amassed nearly forty thousand views in its first two weeks. The next song (and title track to the album) starts out slow but soon hits even harder than its predecessor. Of the song, Nico Schiesewitz says, “the song Overdrive is our own therapy on our deepest fears. This is the most vulnerable and personal song we’ve ever released. It’s like there’s a demon living inside your head that keeps driving you insane and controls your emotions like a ghost or parasite. We hope it provides some form of help for people suffering from something like that, you are not alone.
”The band’s single, “Changes,” was released on January 7th. The official music video has already amassed nearly 100,000 views on YouTube and was well received by fans. One of the highlights of this song was the guest appearance by Nico Sallach of the fellow German metalcore band, Eskimo Callboy. Some bands will write songs that swap screaming and singing in a way that seems too separated and unnatural. Breathe Atlantis has found the secret to blending both vocal styles in a way that is quite pleasing. While “Overdrive” features mostly clean vocals, songs like “Savior” and “Heavy Hearts” focus more heavily on the unclean vocals.
As I mentioned earlier, the whole album is incredible. Each of the songs is unique, while simultaneously keeping the familiar tones and tempos we all love in this genre. “Earthquake” is a fast-paced song with earth-shattering riffs. In “Out There” I really found that the talent of drummer Silas Fischer was really shown. “Dead and Gone” is another great example of the band blending beautiful melodies with aggression and “Gates of Hell” features an absolute ripper of a bridge that has been stuck in my head since I first heard it. The album closes with the slower-paced and atmospheric song, “Going Down.”
From my first listen, I can tell that the band is really trying to bare their soul and write from a place of vulnerability. The music is heavy, yet melodic, and the lyrics are honest. To the fans of the softer side of the metalcore genre, you will love this album. Despite the negative effects of the pandemic, Breathe Atlantis has been working excessively to give its fans something positive and real. Don’t miss “Overdrive.”
