MCD | RSR023

RELEASE DATE :
2010

PRESSING INFOS :


6.00 € : BUY IT

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ALTAR OF PLAGUES
Sol
Radar Swarm Records

Altar of Plagues is an Irish ambient black metal band. After gaining attention in the metal community with a series of demos and EPs, the band released their first studio album, White Tomb, in April 2009 on Profound Lore Records. Following a year of gigging and some changes to the lineup, the group just released a MCD/MLP on roadburn records and announced their signing with Candlelight Records in January 2010.

We are very proud to re-issue their SOL EP !

TRACK LISTING :
01. Intro 01:51
02. The Titan Skies 05:43
03. Twisted Structures Against The Sun 11:43
04. With Fire In Our Veins We Drown In Light 14:16

LINER NOTES :


REVIEWS :
Review originally published at http://www.teethofthedivine.com by Erik Thomas


Well, Profound Lore has done it again, uncovering another gem of a black metal record, this time from the depths of Cork, Ireland.Though cut from the same cloth as label mates Cobalt and Krallice, and with some similarities to the likes of Wolves in the Throne room, and to some extent, the new Withered, as far as epic, sprawling songs, segments of ambience and a more raw, organic tone, Altar of Plagues are generally a bit more brittle, nastier and grittier and their ambient segues are far more mechanical and industrial, maybe a dash of Blut Aus Nord?

With one intro and three tracks comprising a respectable 33 minutes, Sol is longer than most EP’s and some albums, and well worth your money if you are a fan of this kind of thinking man’s black metal. After the intro, the EP’s shortest track “The Titan Skies” kicks off with nasty, torrential black metal furor and tremolo picked savagery before ending with a factory sounding few moments of industrial clamor. “Twisted Structures Against The Sun” is an eleven-minute trip starting with Norwegian (Mayhem-ish?) rhythmic, buzzing riffage, then an almost post rock shimmer before an ambient strumming, acoustic midsection and an unexpected tangent into gruff shouts (which may put off some black metal purists) and a mechanical buzz/hum to end the song. The post rock vocals and vibe starts of the 14-minute “With Fire In Our Veins We Drown In Light” before exploding with a seething tremolo picked salvo that then bridges into more lengthy post rock introspection and finally climaxing with yet more blackned furor and industrial programming.

Again, black metal purists may be put off, but if you are into the bands in the first paragraph and don’t mind a few non black metal tangents, Altar of Plagues look to be one of the most promising and component cross genre bands out of the UK I’ve heard in a while and I’m really looking forward to a full length album.