ALBUM REVIEW: The Approaching Roar – Altarage
There are far more strands to the savage and uncompromising sub-genre that is death metal than many may think. Some may doubt how complex and diverse a genre predicated by SLAYER riffs and unintelligible growls can be, and perhaps it’s not without good reason. To many, death metal is unwelcoming, and therefore it doesn’t invite one to investigate what treasures are held therein. However, in recent years, there has been a popularity spike in death metal which aims to unnerve rather than bludgeon. This wave, despite being less direct and more concerned with building an atmosphere, has birthed some of the most menacing albums in the history of extreme metal. ’90s absurdists GORGUTS and PORTAL gave way to a generation of inhuman, unrelenting death metal which unsettles more than it startles, and it has grown to be one of the most vibrant scenes in extreme metal, and one of the finest bands to be spawned from it is ALTARAGE. Alongside their peers in ULCERATE, PISSGRAVE and ARTIFICIAL BRAIN, ALTARAGE have been producing chaotic and nihilistic death metal for a number of years now, and in their new album The Approaching Roar, the band have released their finest effort to date.
It would be unfair to not mention that beyond death metal, ALTARAGE boast a diverse range of influences. Firstly, black metal permeates their sound throughout; the moments where they blast share more with ROTTING CHRIST than they do with POSSESSED. Funeral doom also makes its presence known at varying points on the album, sounding much like that produced by such heavyweights ESOTERIC and MY DYING BRIDE at their most misanthropic. Perhaps most surprisingly though is the notable influence from power-violence, the rabid cousin of grindcore; it may not be obvious at first, but the ferocity is taken directly from the rule-book of modern bands such as NAILS and FULL OF HELL, and it makes the band sound vicious. Also willing to incorporate industrial and avant-garde elements, the band are truly a melting pot of all things uneasy, and the result is divine.
The album opens with Sighting which, at first, offers the listener roughly 20 seconds of merciful peace. A swirling guitar leads ring out before the song immediately evolves to its explosive final form. It is made abundantly clear precisely what ALTARAGE offer, and what they offer is some of the most devastating and technically exquisite death metal one is likely to hear this year. The band are on ferocious form. The riff-work here, as is the case with the rest of the album, is utterly splendid. Their work being both thuggish and orchestral, the musicians in this outfit appear to understand that balance is the key to success in this style of music. The duality of mindless violence and intelligently pitched suspense makes for an uncompromising attack.
The album highlight is almost certainly Inhabitant, which is also the moment on the album where the band also sound at their most apocalyptic. By incorporating high-end hardcore screeches into their guttural attack, there seems to be no escape as they attack from all aural angles. The mid-section of this particular track also recalls the menacing lurches of GODFLESSH in their prime, as the band employ a steady, industrial, marching riff, signalling an impending threat. The suspense built here is tangible and the payoff that follows, a cacophonous finale showcasing the band’s most unbridled side, delivers a deformed euphoria.
Album closer, the curiously titled Engineer is a three-minute exercise in brutality. Opening with an entirely unwelcoming but appropriate 40-second symphony of industrial harsh-noise, and closing with perhaps an early contender for the most carnally-eruptive riff of the year, it is surely the most aggressive song on the album, almost comical in how outwardly unpleasant it is. It is quite simply the absolute perfect way to close an album like this; stomping out its exit rather than bowing out gracefully.
The production on this album is also pitched perfectly. Make no mistake, The Approaching Roar is a shocking cacophony and is totally unforgiving in its execution, yet the production allows it to feel like a thrill-ride rather than a test of patience. It snaps and blasts in all the right places, and exaggerates the intoxicating low-end precisely in the way that it should. The fact a currently commercially-insignificant band like ALTARAGE are able to achieve such brilliance is perfect evidence that there is no excuse for established bands such as MORBID ANGEL and OBITUARY to have the poor production that plagued each of their respective latest efforts. The band sound mighty, and it brings a level of class and grandiosity that this band deserves.
An unlawful hate-child of all malevolent extreme metal, ALTARAGE are an absolute delight. They hold no bars in their attempts to frighten the listener, and their tactics of balance and restraint contrast perfectly with their willingness to let the wolf off the chain. They show a remarkable understanding of their art and display an astounding vision for their future. It’s remarkable that this band are yet to see the success they deserve, but with The Approaching Roar, they have proven themselves impossible to ignore for much longer.
Rating: 9/10
The Approaching Roar is out now via Season Of Mist.
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