Altar of Plagues – Mammal

Releasedate: 25-04-2011; Label: Candlelight Records
By: Sabine van Gameren

Altar of Plagues is an Irish Black Metal formation, which formed in 2006. The band have released their debut album in 2009 and “Mammal” is their second full length, which is out now.

It has only four tracks, but they are all long and therefore still get a long Altar of Plagues experience. What to expect is Ambient Black Metal with quite some vocals. The band works with intensity and tempo changes that never gets boring, not even after 50 minutes of playtime on this album. What the band sometimes does is bringing the drums quite upfront while it are the guitars who bring the most interesting part, which means you have to listen carefully and focus. When the guitar and drums unite again they building up tensions and atmospheres with an climax to enjoy. What suits the band quite well is the fact they kept the synths quite modest and not overdo it. It has its place, but never takes over.
“Mammal” has actually a lot of different atmosphere’s the band really did a great job and for those who heard their previous album “White Tomb”, this album will overgrow your expectations. Fans of bands like Blut Aus Nord will find their joy in Alter of Plagues as well.

Line Up:
Dave Condon – Bass, vocals
James Kelly – Guitar, vocals, synth
Jeremiah Spillane – Guitar
Johnny King – Drums

Tracklist: 01. Neptune is Dead 02. Feather and Bone 03. When the Sun Drowns in the Ocean 04. All Life Converges to Some Center

Links:
Altar of Plagues Official