Black Altar
Death Fanaticism ()
Wydane przez Black Plague Records/Odium Rex/Metalhit.comRok wydania Kraj PolandNapisał Wouter7
Black Altar is a native Polish but now UK based one-man black metal project that brings eerie cold Scandinavian black metal in the tradition of "Storm Of the Light's Bane" era Dissection (without the overt Iron Maiden stylings) and (early) Dark Funeral with depraved sounding strangled rasps that remind of Legion (Devian, ex-Marduk). The light use of keyboards gives it the haunting atmosphere usually reserved for (early) Emperor or Limbonic Art albums. The pace is high and the atmosphere is suffocating, but Black Altar knows when to slow down and let the gloomy darkness consume the listener. It's from these gloomy midpaced sections that Black Altar derives from of its strength. Some of the riffing, harmonies and rare lead/solo is also rife with a death metal influence that makes Black Altar all the more interesting than many of its contemporaries. Overall, the progressive and technical guitar riffs, thundering bass and varied patterns of the drum computer give this a modern vibe reminiscent of Sweden's Mutant. The production is pristine with a meaty guitar tone, audible booming bass lines and a drum computer that doesn't sound sterile. The artwork, design and lay-out are suitably grim and could have fitted with elite genre acts such as Marduk or Dark Funeral. "Death Fanaticism" combines the strengths of well constructed black metal with influences of death metal and makes it easily the best album to come out of the black metal underground in some time.
www.metalhit.com
