Atheist - Working On First New Album In 15 Years
In a recent interview with Altars Of Metal, Atheist frontman Kelly Shaefer revealed that the band is currently working on new material for the band's upcoming new album, which will mark their first release in 15 years.
Shaefer said the following about the band’s plans: “We have a really busy year coming up. In a couple of weeks, we head to South America with our friends in Cryptopsy. And so we’re gonna do that. And then we have a North American run in April that’s yet to be announced. We plan on hitting Japan and New Zealand this year, in June, and then Europe in September and then another U.S. tour in November. So somewhere in between, we’re gonna be writing [new material].”
He went on to say the band already have six tracks: “We’ve got about six new songs written. And it’s the first new Atheist music in a lot of years - 15, to be exact, which blows my fucking mind, that Jupiter is 15 years old already. Jupiter is a teenager. It feels like it was just a minute ago.”

He also discussed the band’s current line-up: “The [musicianship] of the guys that are in the band right now is just as good as I could ever ask for; there’s nothing that they can’t play. And so for me, as a as a creator, it’s so fun to just create complexity and know that everybody’s gonna be able to nail it, everybody’s gonna be able to have the discipline to learn to play things sort of correctly all the time. And that’s a big factor. Because you can go in the studio and kind of create music and hope like hell that you can play it live, but I feel confident, more confident than I ever have, in in the guys that are in my band right now. So it’s fun to hear new music. Atheist, every album is different. There’s a common denominator, but it’s still very different, each one. And so I’m excited to make this new record.”
He also added the following about the lengthy wait: “We’ve been having a lot of contractual problems for the last seven years, and that’s why we haven’t made any new music, is because the business of music has held us from doing that. So anybody out there wondering why we haven’t had a new album in a while, it’s because of the business. And we’re working really, really hard to get that sorted out. But while that’s happening, we’re writing music and having a blast. And so I can’t say enough about the guys in my band now; I just love them so much. And they have such attention to detail that I can’t wait to take it around the world this year.”
Shaefer said the following about the band’s plans: “We have a really busy year coming up. In a couple of weeks, we head to South America with our friends in Cryptopsy. And so we’re gonna do that. And then we have a North American run in April that’s yet to be announced. We plan on hitting Japan and New Zealand this year, in June, and then Europe in September and then another U.S. tour in November. So somewhere in between, we’re gonna be writing [new material].”
He went on to say the band already have six tracks: “We’ve got about six new songs written. And it’s the first new Atheist music in a lot of years - 15, to be exact, which blows my fucking mind, that Jupiter is 15 years old already. Jupiter is a teenager. It feels like it was just a minute ago.”

He also discussed the band’s current line-up: “The [musicianship] of the guys that are in the band right now is just as good as I could ever ask for; there’s nothing that they can’t play. And so for me, as a as a creator, it’s so fun to just create complexity and know that everybody’s gonna be able to nail it, everybody’s gonna be able to have the discipline to learn to play things sort of correctly all the time. And that’s a big factor. Because you can go in the studio and kind of create music and hope like hell that you can play it live, but I feel confident, more confident than I ever have, in in the guys that are in my band right now. So it’s fun to hear new music. Atheist, every album is different. There’s a common denominator, but it’s still very different, each one. And so I’m excited to make this new record.”
He also added the following about the lengthy wait: “We’ve been having a lot of contractual problems for the last seven years, and that’s why we haven’t made any new music, is because the business of music has held us from doing that. So anybody out there wondering why we haven’t had a new album in a while, it’s because of the business. And we’re working really, really hard to get that sorted out. But while that’s happening, we’re writing music and having a blast. And so I can’t say enough about the guys in my band now; I just love them so much. And they have such attention to detail that I can’t wait to take it around the world this year.”
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