Abrogation of the human soul
tom metal | Providence, RI USA | 08/23/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"and it's caught on audio for us to hear. what will undoubtedly be one of 2009s hallmark albums in metal is black, if in the loosest sense of the word. the black metal aspects of this record dwarf and engulf human existence; but altar of plagues manages to fuse it with monolithic droning passages and an air of post-rock that manages to point out the frailty of the human condition so vividly that you'll swear your veins are crumbling to dust while you listen to this.
there's a million compliments to give this album, so i'll save both the reader and myself the time. all i'll say is that this is progressive, exploratory, bold, emotive black metal that upon first listen will leave with a pitting knot in your stomach; a nervous excitedness buzzing in every synapse as the music slithers unexpectedly through cracks in the corners of genre confinement. truly something special."
Awesome find.
Alan R | 01/07/2010
(5 out of 5 stars)
"So being a fan of Negura Bunget, Agalloch, Enslaved, Wolves in the Throne Room, etc, I decided to do some research on other bands that produced similar music styles. This is one of the bands I found and I must say I'm really happy with this cd. It's definitely in the same vein as the bands I described, so if you like any of them, you will probably like this. Highly recommend."
Not to fall on deaf ears...
eternal now | mankato | 06/19/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I love this new world we live in; where musical genres can be fused together to form something that fully embraces multiple emotions, rather than just sticking to one specific style and beating the listener over the head with it until their bored out of their mind. Well, at least the truly artistic bands are capable of fusing multiple genres together.
Alter of Plagues happen to be one of those masterful bands that combine a few different genres together to form one cohesive masterpiece, and that masterpiece is 'White Tomb'. Epic, surreal, droning, blistering and highly emotional, 'White Tomb' will engulf you with its epic passages of post-rock drone, its blast beat infused black metal musings, and its all-encompassing atmosphere. Here's the deal: 4 tracks, each pushing the limits in terms of time and genre constraints; not one ounce of filler, not one wasted riff, not one pointless lyric. The songs are long (most push the 12 + minute mark, save for one track, which is about 9 minutes long), but good luck getting bored, because as soon as you get comfortable with one specific styling the band changes it up and you're treated to something completely different in style but similar in intensity.
You could probably say that 'White Tomb' is based in black metal, with touches of 'atmospheric/ambiance' and post-rock, but honestly there is nothing else like it, at least nothing I have ever found. One moment you're being assaulted by endless blast beats and tremolo riffing, and then next minute everything slows down with an amazing breakdown, and then you're taken through droning riffs, post-rock anthems and serene quiet moments, and even some doom-y inspired stuff; Alter of Plagues literally give you everything with this release, and its nothing short of perfection. It also helps that the production is crystal clean; don't expect to find that typical black metal 'tin' sound, or muffled vocals.
Oh, and the vocals are amazing, ranging from typical black metal gurgles to even lower black metal gurgles; but it all sounds amazing and fitting and they're never overused or out of place.
Highly recommended for the adventurous metal fans and those seeking something different."
Track Listings (4) - Disc #1