B737 CREW LNDG ATL RWY 27L ON VECTOR FOR A VISUAL APCH HAS DIFFICULTY SEEING THE ARPT AND CROSSES THE LOC ON ASSIGNED HDG.

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ON L BASE FOR RWY 27L AT ATL; RECEIVING VECTORS AS NORMAL. HAZY VFR EVENING AT SUNDOWN; KNOWING VISIBILITY WOULD BE MARGINAL WHEN VECTORED W FOR LOC INTERCEPT. ATL APCH CTLR HAD ASKED US IF WE SAW TFC THAT HE WANTED US TO FOLLOW. WE REPLIED 'NEGATIVE.' SOON THEREAFTER; ANOTHER ACFT RPTED 'TFC IN SIGHT; RWY IN SIGHT.' AND AT THAT TIME I THINK HE RECEIVED A CLRNC FOR A VISUAL APCH TO RWY 27L. WE CONTINUED NBOUND ON BASE LEG. WE THEN WERE GIVEN A TURN TO APPROX 340 DEGS. WE COMPLIED. I REALIZED WE WERE GOING TO PASS THROUGH THE LOC RAPIDLY; WITH NO CLRNC TO JOIN IT. CONGESTED FREQ PREVENTED US FROM ASKING THE CTLR. AS WE PASSED THROUGH THE LOC; STILL ON A 340 DEG HDG; THE CTLR CAME THROUGH IN A PANICKED VOICE DEMANDING AN 'IMMEDIATE TURN TO (APPROX) 240 DEGS TO REJOIN LOC;' WHAT WERE WE DOING? AND WHY DIDN'T WE CAPTURE AND TRACK;' ETC. WE REPLIED THAT WE WERE NEVER CLRED FOR THE APCH. HE (CTLR) SAID WE HAD ACCEPTED THE VISUAL APCH CLRNC; WHICH IS ABSOLUTELY WRONG. (I BELIEVE HE MISTOOK US FOR THE ACFT Y THAT DID ACCEPT THE VISUAL CLRNC.) WE CAPTURED THE LOC ON A SW HDG; FLEW THE APCH AND LANDED. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS: 1) CONGESTED FREQ MADE COM DIFFICULT. 2) APCH CTLR ASSUMED WE ACCEPTED A VISUAL CLRNC; PROBABLY BECAUSE EVERYBODY (OR MOST EVERYBODY) HAD ACCEPTED THAT CLRNC. WE DID NOT HAVE THE TFC OR ARPT IN SIGHT; NEVER DID DURING THIS WHOLE SEQUENCE; AND TOLD THE CTLR.