Music progresses. It is a fact of all genres; metal being no exception. It is this fact that keeps things interesting throughout the years. Without it, the masses would still be listening to classical music on bakelite records spinning at 78 revolutions per minute (not that anything is wrong with classical music. Without it there would be no metal). It is all about progression. Speaking of progress, Australia’s Altars have taken death metal to a new place. Their first ever full-length, Paramnesia, teems with innovation and pushes the boundaries set forth by the originators of the genre.
Altars is Alan Cadman, Lewis Fischer, and Cale Schmidt. The trio formed in 2005 in Adelaide, South Australia. They have previously released a demo, and appeared on a couple of splits. ‘Solar Barge’ was released as a single in early 2013 in support of Paramnesia, a record which should garner the band some great
attention.
Paramnesia‘s opening track, ‘Mare’ gives the listener a one second head-start, then, with great accuracy, drops a steel trap on them, possibly crushing a foot, or leg. No getting away now. The onslaught begins. A nice blast-beat gives way to an off-kilter chord progression; the vocals sit atop the madness perfectly. The track serves as evidence of what is to come. And what is to come is great. Squirm in your cage. ‘Terse’ is short, but full of great beats and riffs (pinch harmonics, anyone?). The drumming alone is amazing. That same energy is given to every track on the record. ‘Khaz’neh’ features a short, but effective drum solo. ‘Solar Barge’ features some stop-start action, lots of energetic and innovative riffs, etc. ‘Husk’ is nothing short of perfect. Unlike most of the other tracks it is average song length. Everything is packed in and done well. Great string bends and vocals similar to Chuck Schuldiner of Death. Tracks 6, 7, and 8 are a “Paramnesia suite.” The three tracks, ‘Descent,’ ‘Gibbous,’ and ‘Ouroboros,’ collectively tell a story of pain and majesty. Epic and fitting; an end to a great record. You may exit the cage now. A bit bloody, but better for it.
All in all, Altars have released something pretty spectacular. Paramnesia will (and should) do well on many critics lists at the end of the year. Pick it up. You will be glad you did.
— JH Statts
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