Album Review: Altar of Oblivion – In The Cesspit Of Divine Decay
Reviewed by Sam Jones
What drew me first and foremost to this record was the artwork. Whenever I see a Paolo Girardi painting used for an album, knowing his style off by heart, it instantly gets me on board with the band choosing it. Altar Of Oblivion is the band in question, using such a piece for their newest record: In The Cesspit Of Divine Decay. Formed back in 2006 out of Aalborg, Denmark, the band originally went under the name of Summoning from 2003, changing their name three years later where one year on, they’d release their first Demo, and then in 2009, they would unleash their first album: Sinews Of Anguish. The band have also released numerous Eps, Singles and even a Live Album; other albums followed including 2012’s Grand Gesture Of Defiance and, their most recent full length work, 2019’s The Seven Spirits. But this isn’t merely another album: In The Cesspit Of Divine Decay is based upon the diary of guitarist Martin Meyer Sparvath’s maternal great-grandfather who reluctantly fought for the then German Empire during the First World War. As a result, this is set to be a far more personal and intimate record release than you’d usually encounter, and come June 28th Altar Of Oblivion will no doubt smash expectations once more, having recently signed on to From The Vaults whom had already handled their latest EP release, Burning Memories. Let’s see that this band are made of.
In your typical metal record, when bands play about subject matter that’s foreboding, there’s usually a more morose and brooding aesthetic thrown about the album, and you can pick up on it through the atmosphere. But Altar Of Oblivion throw in their tendencies of more grandiose, epic songwriting and in turn, imbue their soundscape with a feeling that says “yes this will be worldending, BUT it’s going to be awesome!” Though you understand the band are playing about life-changing and continent-collapsing things, there’s a momentum and energy tucked deep within their sound that draws us only further in. The band’s epic doom metal aesthetic sees vocals soaring for the sky, and the riffs complement this approach with tone and unrestrained resonance wherein their assault doesn’t merely end upon the last played chord; the note lingers and doesn’t immediately dissipate so while the band aren’t playing the fastest tempo, there’s always that feeling of confinement without needing to render the mix with a suffocation of bass.
More on the guitar work itself, the riffs here remind me of what Black Sabbath might have sounded like had Ronnie James Dio fronted the legendary band from the initial outset. The band’s soundscape, though reaching for far-off vistas and horizons, is still firmly rooted to earth, which only makes their performance more captivating owing to the reach of their sound. The band certainly feel to be a perfect cross between Rainbow and Sabbath and that’s not something I can recall attributing to many other acts these days. The mix also helps the band in this case since they aren’t vying to overwhelm you with a heavy degree of power, but rather enable you to follow alongside it, discovering every nicety and hidden element only found upon focused attention. The riffs may be prominent throughout the band’s performance, and clearly possess significant standing amongst the band’s output, but they’re also pretty simple. Riffs in this style of metal don’t need to be overtly complex for fans to get behind them. They just need to feel resolute and firm.
Owing to what kind of album this is, you’re naturally going to receive longer tracks than your conventional metal record; with that said, it’s impressive to behold how quickly Altar Of Oblivion instil this innate, trusted confidence into you with how your time will be handled. With each played track, most stretching six or seven minutes, you know for a fact you won’t be strung along for most of a track’s runtime before finally treated to what the piece promised you in the first place; even during a track’s more mundane moments, gathering the momentum prior to its detonation, the band are always engaging and entertaining. They understand you need to grab your audience’s attention from the word go, and in doing so have to then replicate that for each succeeding song. I knew, early on, I was in good hands with this record and, so, when I saw the number of upcoming, lengthy tracks, I was in no way more anxious than I was at the beginning of the album. Including one or two shorter pieces does break up the flow however and ensures the record never grows stale, for a shorter piece will usually follow a long one and therefore gives us breathing time before diving back into the foray.
The vocals, for this album, I think, are perfect for the kind of sound Altar Of Ovlivion are championing. Sure, there is a doom-laden atmosphere pervading throughout your time spent here, but there’s a real jovial energy thrown in for good measure too, and therefore you need vocals that reflect that. It’s evident their frontman can actually sing, due to the clarity and control he has over his performance, especially as he juts out sustained notes and loses not an iota of strength doing so. I also appreciate that, while he does utilise high notes, they aren’t so far-reaching or numerous that they’re obnoxiously so; their frontman understands the assignment vividly and what kind of performance is needed to best complement the instrumentation on display. He knows when to put the throttle down, but also when to hold back and let the riffs take command; the baritone nature of his voice is a plus also as it ensures those lower, slower utterances of vocals will hold greater impact and therefore you’re hanging on to every word.
In conclusion, Altar Of Oblivion, now on their fourth album, demonstrate that success often isn’t done overnight, but also showcase Denmark’s growing place on the world stage of metal. We’ve seen the country give us the most vile, harrowing extreme metal, so discovering a band like Altar Of Oblivion with their retro heavy metal/doom style is honestly refreshing and these guys pull off that soundscape with great ease. Everything about this record feels on point as their riffs and vocals and conceptual tale matches the aesthetic of their soundscape. I also appreciate that they don’t go overboard on the epic nature of their songwriting; there’s a definite grandiosity to their sound but it isn’t overdone to the point where it starts overshadowing the main songwriting. The band are always keeping their feet firmly to the ground and it creates a feeling that you’re never at risk of losing your place as the band play on. Though the album is forty-five minutes long and uses longer tracks to champion its sound, it goes by rather quickly and is a very easy listen. I’ll certainly be interested to see what else these guys do in the future.
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