Yob “Atma”Yob is a critical darling in the metal press. I got sucked in by the hype and picked up their 2004 release “The Illusion Of Motion”. If memory serves, then I listened to it once or twice and subsequently filed it away and never listened again. That’s not a statement about the quality of the album, it just didn’t grab me at the time. Earlier this year, I had the opportunity to see Yob perform live at SXSW at the Full Metal Texas event and was mightily impressed. Lumbering 10 minute plus doom metal songs are not normally my thing, but Yob’s live show was really doing it for me. Alas, the mental note to revisit their albums slipped my mind for a few months until the metal press begin to express much enthusiasm for the impending release of their new album “Atma”. Thankfully, the hype matches the end result. “Atma” consists of five songs clocking in a little shy of 55 minutes total playing time, but the album seems to pass by much more quickly than that as it swallows you in a sea of sound before letting you finally come back up for air. Metal fans who worship at the altar of Neurosis, Candlemass and of course, Black Sabbath take note, this is your favorite album of the year.
Grade: A