Unquestionable Presence
Encyclopedia
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.
.
Bassist Roger Patterson
wrote the bass lines for Unquestionable Presence, but was killed 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.
re-released Unquestionable Presence. This edition has been digitally remastered, and features nine bonus tracks.
Recorded at Morrisound
, Tampa
, Florida
in 1991. Produced by Scott Burns
and Atheist
with special thanks to Tom Morris. Cover artwork by Justice Mitchell.
Death metal
Death metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal. It typically employs heavily distorted guitars, tremolo picking, deep growling vocals, blast beat drumming, minor keys or atonality, and complex song structures with multiple tempo changes....
band Atheist
Atheist (band)
Atheist is a technical death metal band from Florida, founded in 1984, whose music combines metal riffs with subtle Latin music arrangements and jazz fusion.- History :...
. It was released in 1991 and added a new sound by using jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
-like harmonies, subtle latin rhythms and unusual time signatures.
Album information
It is considered a landmark album in the genre of technical death metalTechnical death metal
Technical death metal is a musical subgenre of death metal that focuses on complex rhythms, riffs and song structures. Technical experimentation in death metal began in the late '80s and early '90s by bands such as Death, Atheist and Cynic...
.
Bassist Roger Patterson
Roger Patterson
Roger Patterson was an American bass player, well known for his work in the Florida death metal band Atheist. His playing style is characterized by its speed and complexity...
wrote the bass lines for Unquestionable Presence, but was killed 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
Tony Choy
Tony Choy is an American electric bassist. He was a session musician for some well-known technical death metal bands such as Atheist, Cynic and the Dutch band Pestilence...
was brought in as a replacement to play bass on the album.
Reception
- The WireThe Wire (magazine)The Wire is a British avant garde music magazine, founded in 1982 by jazz promoter Anthony Wood and journalist Chrissie Murray. The magazine initially concentrated on contemporary jazz and improvised music, but branched out in the early 1990s to various types of experimental music...
(p. 53) - "[A] more complex and Progressive album, every song rocketing through multiple tricky time signatures and endless variations on already baffling riffs."
Track listing
2005 Re-release
In 2005, Relapse RecordsRelapse Records
Relapse Records is an independent record label based in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania. It was founded by Matthew F. Jacobson in 1990.-History:The label was started by Matthew F. Jacobson in August, 1990 in his parents' basement in Aurora, Colorado...
re-released Unquestionable Presence. This edition has been digitally remastered, and features nine bonus tracks.
Line-up
- Kelly Shaefer (vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
, guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
) - Rand Burkey (guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
) - Tony ChoyTony ChoyTony Choy is an American electric bassist. He was a session musician for some well-known technical death metal bands such as Atheist, Cynic and the Dutch band Pestilence...
(bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
) - Steve Flynn (drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
) - Roger PattersonRoger PattersonRoger Patterson was an American bass player, well known for his work in the Florida death metal band Atheist. His playing style is characterized by its speed and complexity...
(bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
) (on tracks 9-15 on 2005 re-release)
Recorded at Morrisound
Morrisound Recording
Morrisound Recording is an audio recording facility in Temple Terrace, Florida, owned and operated by brothers Jim and Tom Morris. Since its opening in 1981, Morrisound has been responsible for the popularization of genres such as heavy metal and death metal, but of course caters to every genre of...
, Tampa
Tâmpa
Tâmpa may refer to several villages in Romania:* Tâmpa, a village in Băcia Commune, Hunedoara County* Tâmpa, a village in Miercurea Nirajului, Mureş County* Tâmpa, a mountain in Braşov city...
, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
in 1991. Produced by Scott Burns
Scott Burns (producer)
Scott Burns is an American computer engineer and an ex-music producer of death metal music, resident at Morrisound Recording studio in Tampa, Florida in late 1980s and 1990s.-Biography:...
and Atheist
Atheist (band)
Atheist is a technical death metal band from Florida, founded in 1984, whose music combines metal riffs with subtle Latin music arrangements and jazz fusion.- History :...
with special thanks to Tom Morris. Cover artwork by Justice Mitchell.