Instrumental doom purveyors Atomic Trip forge ahead with their third album, Strike #3.

I am beginning to sense a pattern. French instrumental stoner doom band Atomic Trip has now released three albums, each one named Strike, followed by a number. On each record, there are two tracks, each titled “Bomb,” followed by a number. So, the third album is Strike #3 and the songs are “Bomb #5” and “Bomb #6.” That makes things easy to keep track of, and if you are as high as you might be for this music, it is good to keep some things simple.

The stage names of the musicians in the band are Jean-Claude VanDoom (guitar), Grom Tattooer (drums), and Gary McDoom (guitar). The origins of Atomic Trip stretch back to before 2017, when their first album came out. Honing their talents in my favorite heavy genre – instrumental metal – each new “Bomb” exists on a new level. I became addicted to music in this vein by listening to Clouds Taste Satanic and Earthless. Three albums in, Atomic Trip now joins these bands on permanent rotation wherever I go.

Side one, “Bomb #5,” 24:15. You find here a pacing and distance unconcerned with the outside world. A short lead-in gives way to titanic guitar riffs crashing through the existence around them. Once through, new levels of meaning are clear. At times noisy, and sometimes instead almost demure, the music, rolling its final moments out in tumbling percussion, is oblivious to categorization.

Side two, “Bomb #6,” 20:49. The next track takes a quicker start and then pushes even harder on the heaviness. In the second half, there is desert doom boogie that elevates the discourse and then takes it back to the founding principles. The finish is searing. Recommended.

Strike #3 is out now in digital, with vinyl coming up in March. You can listen for free at Bandcamp and decide if you want to preorder the LP at the label’s site. Links below.

Band photo by Alispictures.

Links.

Bandcamp, https://atomictrip.bandcamp.com/album/strike-3

Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/atomictripdoom/

Tentacles Industries, https://tentaclesindustries.bigcartel.com/artist/atomic-trip

© Wayne Edwards