Unquestionable Presence
| Unquestionable Presence | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | August 30, 1991 | |||
| Recorded | 1991 | |||
| Studio | Morrisound, Tampa, Florida | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 32:25 | |||
| Label | Death | |||
| Producer | Scott Burns | |||
| Atheist chronology | ||||
| ||||
Unquestionable Presence is the second album by the death metal band Atheist. It was released in 1991 and added a new sound by using jazz-like harmonies, subtle Latin rhythms and unusual time signatures.
Content
It is considered a landmark album in the genre of technical death metal.[1]
Bassist Roger Patterson wrote the bass lines for Unquestionable Presence, but died in a touring van accident before the recording sessions took place. His work, however, can be heard on the pre-production demos included with the 2005 re-release. Tony Choy was brought in as a replacement to play bass on the album.
Critical reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [2] |
| Terrorizer | 9.5/10[3] |
James Hinchcliffe described the album in Terrorizer as "the very pinnacle of scorching yet brain-twisting technical metal".[3] Phil Freeman in The Wire (issue 261, p.53) described Unquestionable Presence as a "more complex and progressive album, every song rocketing through multiple tricky time signatures and endless variations on already baffling riffs."[4] In October 2005, Unquestionable Presence was inducted into the Decibel Magazine Hall of Fame being the ninth album overall to be featured in the Decibel Hall of Fame.[5]
Track listing
All lyrics by Kelly Shaefer. All music composed by Atheist.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Mother Man" | 4:34 |
| 2. | "Unquestionable Presence" | 4:07 |
| 3. | "Your Life's Retribution" | 3:17 |
| 4. | "Enthralled in Essence" | 3:38 |
| 5. | "An Incarnation's Dream" | 4:53 |
| 6. | "The Formative Years" | 3:30 |
| 7. | "Brains" | 3:41 |
| 8. | "And the Psychic Saw" | 4:45 |
| Total length: | 32:25 | |
2005 re-release
In 2005, Relapse Records re-released Unquestionable Presence. This edition has been digitally remastered, and features nine bonus tracks.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 9. | "Enthralled in Essence" (Pre-production Demo 8/90) | 3:32 |
| 10. | "The Formative Years" (Pre-production Demo 8/90) | 3:29 |
| 11. | "Unquestionable Presence" (Pre-production Demo 8/90) | 3:55 |
| 12. | "An Incarnation's Dream" (Pre-production Demo 8/90) | 4:09 |
| 13. | "Retribution" (Pre-production Demo 8/90 (Instrumental) | 3:19 |
| 14. | "Brains" (Pre-production Demo 8/90 (Instrumental) | 3:40 |
| 15. | "Enthralled in Essence" (Demo 1990) | 3:44 |
| 16. | "Mother Man" (Demo 1990 (Drums & Bass Tracks) | 4:42 |
| 17. | "And the Psychic Saw" (Demo 1990 (Rhythm Tracks) | 4:27 |
| Total length: | 68:32 | |
Personnel
- Kelly Shaefer – vocals, guitar
- Rand Burkey – guitar
- Tony Choy – bass
- Steve Flynn – drums
- Roger Patterson – bass (on tracks 9–15 on 2005 re-release)
- Scott Burns – producer
- Atheist – producers
- Justice Mitchell – cover artwork
References
- ^ Badin, O. (December 2006). Terrorizer #151, "Death Metal: The DM Top 40", page 53.
- ^ Allmusic review
- ^ a b Hinchcliffe, James (November 2005). "Atheist: Piece of Time/Unquestionable Presence/Elements". Terrorizer (137): 72.
- ^ "Atheist - Unquestionable Presence CD Album". Cduniverse.com. 2005-08-30. Retrieved 2012-03-13.
- ^ Chase, Jesse. "Atheist – "Unquestionable Presence"". Decibel. Retrieved 2018-05-11.