After what seemed like a lifetime to many a fan of ATHEIST dating back to the early 1990's (and an actual lifetime to young novice Metalheads the world over), it's safe to say that "Jupiter" is as good as any of the top albums of the past fifteen years, if not better. "Piece Of Time" and "Elements" were sensational albums in their own right from these Technical Death Metal pioneers, but it was when the Florida quartet released "Unquestionable Presence" in 1991 that ATHEIST truly set themselves apart from everybody else in the genre and from most of the Death Metal acts at that time. Over the years, "Unquestionable Presence" has become lauded as one of the finest, if not the finest Technical Metal album ever recorded and for good reason: it is.

After more than twenty listens, it's apparent that "Jupiter" continues right where "Unquestionable Presence" left off. Forget the fact that ATHEIST released the different-sounding "Elements" for a moment and picture what the band would have released had co-founder/drummer Steve Flynn not retired from the music industry and that these Tampa legends continued to make epic material. "Jupiter" is as great as anything these guys have ever created and it's vintage ATHEIST through and through. It's as tight, technical, off-beat, disjointed, rhythmic, groovy, fast and churning as any song they've written in the past. The major difference this time around, though, is a much more meaty and clean production. The sound of the band's instruments burst through the speakers with brutal aplomb, and each song is woven together like a perfect tapestry of anger, frustration, and, in an odd sort of way, celebration.

Each track on "Jupiter" could easily fit betwixt any on "Unquestionable Presence", as "Jupiter" is much more similar to that masterpiece than the other two records released by ATHEIST. However, it must be mentioned that certain parts of certain songs are instantly recognizable as something lifted straight from their debut LP "Piece Of Time", and certain elements of "Jupiter" rekindle the unbalanced and frazzled melodies that made "Elements" such a fun listen.

Though there is not even a hint of a filler song on the album, it must be mentioned that ATHEIST has created a few of their finest gems in the band's history. Without question, "Fictitious Glide" is the standout track as it's arguably the most disjointed yet groovy song of the entire album. After the song starts a "fictitious" fade to what sounds like the end of a spectacularly short track, Flynn cracks the bell of the ride cymbal and signals new members Chris Baker and Jonathan Thompson to kick in to complete what is one of the finest single songs recorded by any band in years. To make matters even better, the final minute of "Fictitious Glide" hammers the listener with sheer speed and a woven spider web of a guitar solo and drum fills only to kick the engine into overdrive with a crushing attack of double bass and hands down the catchiest twenty or so seconds of ATHEIST's history.

Other standout tracks include "Tortoise The Titan", a song that hones a perfect blend of slow and speed at the same time; "Faux King Christ" with its sheer heaviness and angry assault akin to "And The Psychic Saw"; and "Live And Live Again", another magnificently catchy track that runs that gamut of a sing-along chorus, dazzling musicianship and perfectly harnessed chaos that really only ATHEIST and a dwarf's handful of other like-minded Technical Death Metal bands can achieve.

"Jupiter" is the album of the year and this is coming from one of the most hardcore, long-time ATHEIST fans around. It's the best album the author of this review has heard since ABSU's "Tara" way back in 2001. It's as if ATHEIST never disappeared for seventeen years and if everything goes according to plan, the band should be releasing more material in the coming years. ATHEIST are the undisputed kings of a genre they helped create and every band who likens themselves as Technical Death Metal should do themselves a favor and listen to this masterpiece. This one is loaded with fantastic songs, not mindless drivel that is overly technical just for the sake of being overly technical. Tsk... And to think George Foreman had one hell of a comeback...