Mammal by Altar of Plagues
LABEL: Profound Lore

Back in my youth, the term “black metal” was used almost exclusively to describe a range of extreme musicians who were all competing with GWAR at costuming, resplendent in increasingly sophisticated corpse-paint and screeching about Satan, Norse mythology and burning churches. Bands like Mayhem and Bathory were whispered forefathers, but Dimmu Borgir, Emperor and Dark Funeral ruled the earth. Inevitably, the spiked collars and platform boots gathered dust in my closet and I ended up exorcising a number of black metal records from my collection. To me, and possibly my ignorance, the genre had run its course.

Recently, however, there has been a resurgence of bands who have taken some of the aesthetic trappings of black metal (or the extreme metal scene at large) and pushed them into intriguing but not altogether illogical territories. This discovery began with Questioner’s self-titled record, Tombs, the excellent Celeste’s Misanthrope(s), Aderlating’s disturbing black drone work, and culminating in my discovery of Ireland’s Altar of Plagues, who have released their excellent full-length Mammal in April of this year.

“It has to be digested and endured as an entire expression, and the result is fulfilling in a way that few metal records are capable of.”

With Altar of Plague’s particular take on the black metal aesthetic the polished production and waves of synthesizers are replaced with a dirty, rough, raw and organic sound. In terms of composition and production, Mammals has more in common with the post-rock scene of Isis and Neurosis and it’s clear that hardcore has its place in Altar of Plague’s roots. Indeed, this new breed of metal band truly deserves the term “post-metal.” It’s an entirely new evolution, relying as much on volume and speed as on dynamics and quiet interludes.

Mammal is exquisitely crafted and one of the darkest, most harrowing albums I’ve listened to this year, and possibly the most natural at achieving the effect it’s going for. Nothing is forced or contrived on Mammal. Each song evokes a remarkable sense of environment and emotional distress, something sorely lacking from the majority of the black metal camp. Vocalist and guitarist James Kelly’s reverb-laden shrieks, apparently all recorded in one take, are refreshingly raw and unrestrained. By dropping the repeatedly caricatured, superficial trappings of their genre, Altar of Plagues have released an album darker and more agonizing than anything their peers might offer.

The album is an intense listen, and with only four tracks clocking in at just over fifty-minutes, there are no easy ins, either. It has to be digested and endured as an entire expression, and the result is fulfilling in a way that few metal records are capable of. Altar of Plagues have tapped into something powerful and explosive with their sound, and has certainly renewed at least one former metalhead’s belief in the genre.


REVIEWED BY NEIL LEVENS
NEIL’S FAVE TRACKS: there are only four songs…the whole thing is incredible.