Atacs will work on any mtb shoe that takes spds (all?), whether the cleat is recessed or not depends on the shoe. I would guess that the tread on the shoe wouldnt interfere with clipping/unclipping as the cleat sort of sits on the pedal rather than in it as with the candys, I've certainly never had any problems. That said, "go and buy another pedal system" isn't the most helpful advice when you've just bought yours. Maybe you could get a spacer and some longer bolts to raise the sole above the cleat, might feel a bit funny though. Clipless is definately worth sticking with.
Atacs will work on any mtb shoe that takes spds (all?), whether the cleat is recessed or not depends on the shoe. I would guess that the tread on the shoe wouldnt interfere with clipping/unclipping as the cleat sort of sits on the pedal rather than in it as with the candys, I've certainly never had any problems. That said, "go and buy another pedal system" isn't the most helpful advice when you've just bought yours. Maybe you could get a spacer and some longer bolts to raise the sole above the cleat, might feel a bit funny though. Clipless is definately worth sticking with.