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Altar Of Plagues: Mammal (Album Review)

By Kate Wilcox

Release Date: May 17th, 2011
Review Date: May 19th, 2011
Record Label: Candlelight

Rating:



    Track Listing:
  1. Neptune is Dead
  2. Feather and Bone
  3. When the Sun Drowns in the Ocean
  4. All Life Converges to Some Center

Altar of Plagues deliver a battery of unrelenting brutality but if you're thinking "Mammal" to be like their previous album then you might just have to let go of those expectations. Don't get me wrong, this is just as unsettling as when you first listened to the likes of early Mayhem but that is only part of what the band has to offer. While there are only four tracks, they will not disappoint. The opener clocks in at twenty minutes and the ones to follow exceed the ten minute mark while they take you on a dark journey of extreme metal.

What makes this even more intense is the kind of subjects they touch lyrically. The concept of life and death, mainly the subject of death and its significance in our daily matters, the emotion is extremely present and you can tell the intent is pure and direct. Atmosphere is at the forefront when you listen to the instrumental "When the Sun Drowns in the Ocean". Altar of Plagues has taken the time to capture a raw energy that is full of sorrow and uninhibited passion.

Some might be thrown off when they hear "Mammal" but it does bring a level of new maturity onto the table. The songwriting is better, the production is better, the material is better. If they are able to progress so far with just their second album it'll be exciting to see what else they deliver in years to come!

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