By Vinnie Apicella

This sounds a little like Kings-X… with a wry sense of humor maybe? They've really tapped into the vein of so-called Christian rock but not as preachers necessarily… more like realistic visionaries against hypocrisy or those "Jesus Junkies" as the first serving of song one makes clear-with no unpleasant aftertaste I might add. Atomic Opera sounds a little less "atomic" than they do "opera" at least till we get to the heavy guitar entrance of song five which is "Malediction" that covers the topic of abortion-negatively presented as "A Curse…" Tough to categorize for all the right reasons without the slightest trace of cliché, Atomic Opera is somewhat progressive in nature, heavy on the melody, deep on the message and yet we have… "Gospel Cola." There's something there for sure, but for now, we'll focus on the music which is easy listening on the one hand-very airy and light, but now and again a surging undercurrent interrupts the smooth flow… something of a musical gas bubble that once its released makes you feel so much better-"Silence," "Muse," and "The Circle is Closed." String arrangements add a folksy flare now and again along with challenging sub structures that weave brilliantly in and out of the standard intro/chorus/bridge/chorus fare. Not exactly the gospel according to Luke but an awareness, as listed in the back pages with their "Atomic Operaen Creed," of a godly presence and hey, maybe they are preaching. But to be sure, Atomic Opera applies a signature method for spreading the word of God in digestible terms that even many of today's faithless listeners would do well to attend.

More from the Online Metal Journal