Of all the sub-genres journalists tend to get blamed for flourishing, Doom is one of the most easily defined. Its tempo is the most distinguishing feature that separates it from the other metal genres that tend to play at more aggressive speeds. Even Doom has now been divided into other sub-genres, one of these being Traditional Doom, to which bands like Candlemass, Trouble, and Cathedral are assigned.
Denmark’s Altar of Oblivion aspires to be numbered among such. Though their third full-length In The Cesspit Of Divine Decay (From the Vaults) holds almost as much in common with another sub-genre of metal …Power Metal. Due to the dramatic manner, the songs are built on epic power chords and soaring vocals.
The band’s grandiose style of playing can be traced back to Dio era Black Sabbath. Though during the Dio years, Tony Iommi cranked out riffs with a larger-than-life self-identifying metal feel, versus the more organic early days as drug band dabbling in blues. The lack of both drugs and blues is what lands Altar of Oblivion solidly in the middle of the road with this album. On one hand, this broadens their appeal to fans of classic metal sounds from the eighties, while perhaps turning away doom fans who want a darker more oppressive crunch.
The vocals are the centerpiece of their sound. On the opening song, they set the bar high for both themselves and the listener with a ripping riff kicking the door in and the vocals belted in a way that is new to your ears, leaving you impressed. In the second song when Mik Mentor begins to explore the lower baritone side of his range, he does not sound as sure of himself, though Altar of Oblivion do lock into some solid chugging with riffs taking you back to a place once occupied by bands like Grim Reaper and early Fates Warning.
Things ebb down into an almost balladic strum of guitar going into “Mark of the Dead”, when the drums kick in the sound is pumped up to something as commanding as the kind of metal Queensryche kicked up on The Warning.
Sure we are seeing lots of opportunities for comparisons to other artists to come to mind, but what can be appreciated from this is they are not paying slavish tribute to any one band’s influence, but have blended sounds from many sources, which puts them ahead of many bands focus on capturing the sound of one band, sometimes even narrowing it to one album from that band.
The Danes put their feet up on the monitors for a rock god pose to charge into “Silent Path”, speeding into a tempo not unlike those used by the bands of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal. They continue to prove themselves capable of defying genre expectations by working in sound more common in folk metal throughout”Damnation”.
Overall metal purists should find plenty to celebrate, as they only dabble in sonic window depression while staying true to the more traditional metalcore, all the way down to the Kirk Hammett-influenced guitar solos.
There are enough Sabbath-worshipping doom bands out there, but fewer bands taking you back to the golden age of metal. If you are looking for a modern band that captures the sounds of decades past with their huge guitar sound, this album is up to that challenge.
Buy the album here:
https://altarofoblivion.bandcamp.com/album/in-the-cesspit-of-divine-decay
8 / 10
WIL CIFER