ALBUM REVIEW: Life Desecration – Altars Ablaze
ALTARS ABLAZE deal in a primal brand of death metal that has been a cornerstone of the genre since its very early days and is delivered and enhanced in a delightfully precise fashion that sees them sound even hungrier. Their debut album Life Desecration is one that demonstrates this precise and brutal nature very well and shows that hunger off in an infectious fashion. As first albums go, this one will grab you from the get go.
With blackened edges aplenty, the Czech band (whose members are all veterans of the country’s death metal scene in bands like BRUTALLY DECEASED, FLESHLESS and IMPERIAL FOETICIDE amongst others) grab you by the jugular from the start of opening salvo (and perfectly named in the most death metal fashion) For The Lifeless Love Of A Crucified Corpse. From then on in it’s a breakneck journey through some truly pulverising death metal all the way through to the brutal closing track Glorification Of Rats.
You can definitely tell that all the musicians here have spent many years honing their craft; tracks like Shrine Destroyer, Drenched In Wrath And Blood and Beneath The Smouldering Ruins are powerfully formed death metal anthems and great examples of how big the sound of ALTARS ABLAZE is. As the formidable vocals of frontman Michal Kusák take control over the band’s at times technical and others sheer raw sonic assault, you can’t help but be swept away by the sheer metal fury on offer.
ALTARS ABLAZE simply let their brutality do the talking and ramp up the energy levels constantly and thoroughly command your attention. When they do drop the tempo slightly like the imposing intro to Drenched In Wrath And Blood, they do so to create an even heavier atmosphere and this just adds to the power of the band’s sound.
There is an impressive amount of energy going on as Life Desecration unfolds and the band have definitely staked their claim to be contenders at the top of the death metal throne, and while it may take time to reach the very echelons of the top, this is an impressive start. It can take a lot to sound fresh when it comes to such an established music like death metal, but ALTARS ABLAZE succeed with such a passion for their craft as it is delivered with such venom and fire.
ALTARS ABLAZE have ultimately wasted no time in setting their standards high with Life Desecration and by the time the album has finished you will be aghast at how assured and impressive the band have sounded on their debut album. No doubt they will only go further as they continue this relentless death metal assault. If this is how far the band have gone on their first attempt, they can definitely go further if they continue to make albums as good as this one.
Rating: 8/10
Life Desecration is set for release on September 16th via Lavadome Productions.
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