EP Review: The Book of Atarah

Wellington metalcore outfit Cian have thrown open the gates to a world of plague, prophecy, war, and desolation with their upcoming concept EP, The Book of Atarah – and it absolutely slaps the soul clean out of your ribcage.

Built around a dystopian story of disease, divided nations, nuclear threats, and desperate scientific gambles, the EP fuses colossal riff work with sharp, emotionally charged storytelling. With Connor Matthew, Navah Chapman, Dylan Jonkers and Zed Ramsay anchoring this thing like a four-headed hydra, Cian prove once again why they’re one of NZ’s most exciting heavy acts: technical, relentless, and overflowing with intent.

Below is my full track-by-track breakdown, buckle in.

1. Ankh

The opening seconds crackle like an ancient spell being activated, clean guitar, static flickers, orchestral breath, and then BANG! you’re hit square across the bridge of the nose by a freight train of guitars and double kicks.

Vocally, this one is a wild ride, Phil Anselmo-style grit, Bullet For My Valentine-tier screams, soaring sung melodies. There’s so much happening, but it’s never messy – harmonies stack like cathedral walls, the drums are monstrous, and the carefully placed pockets of space make the heavy sections explode even harder. A massive, cinematic opener.

2. Horus

This is metalcore in its purest, most unapologetic form. Loud. Urgent. Absolute chaos in the best possible way.

There’s one band that immediately came to mind the moment this dropped in: Attack Attack! the very band that dragged me headfirst into metalcore years ago. The influence is there in spirit, but Cian absolutely make it their own.

And look, as a drummer, I can only wish to have the chops Zed displays on Horus. The half-time to full-time transitions, the tasteful fills, the swagger in the kick patterns… it’s stupid good. Melodically, it hits exactly where it needs to. I wouldn’t change a damn thing.

3. Montu

This track is dissonant panic incarnate.

It feels like alarm bells, flashing red lights, a clown nightmare sprinting at you with a chainsaw, The guitars are so low they practically growl. It’s riff-heavy, chaotic, intentionally unnerving in the best way.

Then at the two-minute mark, the whole thing breaks open. Suddenly it’s drums and vocals holding the entire world together, with these eerie little guitar flickers teasing on the edges.
And at 3:00? It blooms into one of the most glorious melodic sections on the whole EP.

A gigantic payoff. Brilliantly written.

4. Khonsu

Straight out the gate: Sevendust vibes all over the drums and guitars – but darker, more brooding, more venomous. When the clean vocals arrive, they float over the track like a stormfront sitting just off the coast – whimsical, eerie, ready to break open at any moment. The contrast between the melodic line and the aggression underneath is spine-tingling. This is one of those songs where you can feel the tension in your chest. A killer from start to finish.

5. Set Alight

This one? This is my personal favourite.

Picture this:
You’re standing alone in a bullfighting arena. A single flamenco guitar sets the scene – warm, mysterious, a touch of danger. Then out of the shadows steps a Toro Bravo, and it’s not just annoyed… it’s absolutely ropable. What follows is dark flamenco-infused metal, twisting melodies, wailing guitars, and Zed once again firing off double kicks like artillery.

I have to shout out Dylan here. Songs like this live or die by the bassline. His tone, groove, and glue-work hold the whole damn thing together. Without that low-end anchoring it, the track would collapse. Instead? It thrives.

A Note on the Mix – said with full respect

If I had one constructive thought – and I only bring this up because the songwriting deserves the world, it’s that the mix doesn’t fully capture the live room thunder I know these boys produce. The performances are phenomenal, the compositions are huge, and I can only imagine how absolutely earth-shaking these tracks will be when they’re played onstage or given a mix that matches the sheer scale of their energy. Put simply, the quality of the music is so massive that the production can afford to be even bigger. That’s a compliment in disguise.

Final thoughts

Thank you sincerely to the boys for giving me the chance to review this beast of an EP. The Book of Atarah is insanely hectic, ferociously written, and packed with that signature Cian intensity that only seems to get sharper with each release.

This is metalcore crafted with precision, and absolutely unhinged energy.

Get it in your earholes, you’ll feel every second of it.