Makeshift Altars

  I don't have a witty tag line for this one, sorry...     Mostly because I feel like wit is lost on this record, and going about describing it in broad terms is reductive to its immensity. Serpent Column, the one-man behemoth of black metal, surfaced several years ago with the release of Ornuthi Thalassa, followed thereafter by the critically acclaimed Mirror in Darkness  in 2019. I've been personally following Serpent Column since immediately prior to Mirror  and have enjoyed the rapid progression he has put to record; following that album immediately with Endless Detainment in early 2020. To that end, we arrive at what Serpent Column has described as the "end of a cycle" in his interview with Terminus, the release in question: Kathodos . The album title here meaning "descent", Kathodos  truly does feel like an album meant to delve deep, whether it be toward some conclusion of musical or philosophic thinking, and rise again out of that hole.    ...

      Another crushing release from transatlantic record label Transcending Obscurity, Jupiterian's new full-length Protosapien is a hybrid sludge/doom/death excursion that, while never overstaying its' welcome, never feels anything less than planet-sized.      At just under thirty six minutes, the Brazilian band's content is here probably best digested as a whole record, which is why in my discussion about it here I'll be giving my more general feelings towards it as a whole. Opening with the sounds of massive electronic percussion and buzzing flies - I pictured corpses rotting on a battlefield with drums and horns in the distance - the atmosphere is quickly set for Jupiterian to serve up their unique blend of despair-laden metal. The production on this record is exceptional, sitting neatly between something professionally-cut  and the more raw sounds of a lofi black metal tape. The guitar tones are guttural and crunchy on the low end, able to ...

A new contender in the contest to sound like a hive of angry bees is on the scene…      and Cryptae are their name. Formed by two members of other such unlovable, misanthropic bands as Plague Organ and Dead Neanderthals, Cryptae have gone about positioning themselves as a new breed of experimental death metal. With the gurgitation of their forthcoming album Nightmare Traversal, the ne'er-do-wells in question have given us a glimpse into their just-barely-musical world. And, I've got to say, they've pretty aptly named this monster; it is a nightmare to traverse.       I mean that in the most lighthearted way possible. If you've heard anything from Plague Organ or Imperial Cult you may have some inkling of the beat down you're about to receive. Although less monolithic than his recent releases under other monikers, Marlon Wolterink's stylistic presence dominates everything to do sonically with Cryptae (though he is only mentioned as engineer, he is prese...

      Classy songwriting in a scene inundated with 'progressive' pretenders -      Luna's Call's sophomore effort impresses with wide-ranging and varied musical influences that never feel integrated capriciously. The term 'progressive metal' is quite loaded by its nature - ostensibly bands in this genre are somehow elevated above or are more forward-thinking than their brethren in more roots-oriented genres like doom or traditional death metal - whether by virtue of their songwriting, instrumentation or some other metric. As a longtime fan of the genre, I'm very familiar with the wide-ranging variety of music that can fall under this cognomen - as well as the blurry lines between this and other subgenres. And so, when Dalton here at Makeshift Altars sent me links to this record and I read 'Progressive Death Metal' on their bandcamp page, I wasn't sure exactly what to expect. Thankfully, I wasn't disappointed in the least - while other bands t...

  Belgian romantics, Marche Funèbre, conjure an operatic image of longing, grief, and loss of hope in the modern age     Isn't it so nice when a band's name accurately reflects the sound of their music? For all those who have trouble using Google translate (or can't make sense of English cognates in foreign languages), Marche Funèbre is French for "funeral march" or "funeral parade". As one might expect, a band name with such somber connotations belongs to a band playing somber, moody music. In fact I kind of find it funny that they play death doom rather than funeral doom, though I suppose that might be a little too on-the-nose. But enough of genre conventions and names, who are these people?     Marche Funèbre have been together since 2008, and Einderlicht  is their fourth provocation to the god of mourning and sorrow (see; album) since then. From their inception, Marche have been quite steadfast in their use of several key songwriting elements: decrep...

  The School of Riff Architecture is open for class, and the professors emeritus in Desolator have laid down their syllabus for the year     Yeah, that's right, the boys from Sweden are serving up healthy helpings of speed and aggression as all the kids return to school. What better time to dole out relentless riffage than when it's time to start believing yourself a scholar once again? Straight out of Stockholm, Desolator are setting the scene for the world of sermons and seminars the world 'round with their second full-length album, Sermon of Apathy . I'll be the first to tell you there's absolutely no fucking around going on this time around either. Brandishing a species of borderline melodeath sensibilities mixed in with some of the sludgiest offerings of the modern OSDM revival scene, Desolator have set about showing everyone how shit is done; in style.     Back in 2013 Desolator blazed onto the scene with a breakout album worthy of note for anyone whose de...

  Ov Shadows fly in to deliver you a glacial slab of black metal all the way from Sweden, and boy are their arms tired...     ...not from flapping their would-be wings, of course, which I’m sure would be covered in tar-black feathers. Either that or something resembling a bat’s wings. Black Metal Animorphs, anyone? Just me? Okay... no, in all seriousness, where these black metal bands get the stamina to deliver these absolutely pelting sections of blastbeats and constant double-picked leads for at least 90 percent of a 45-minute album is beyond me. But Ov Shadows pull it off, and showcase a wealth of not only arm strength but songwriting competence as well.     Black metal can really start to sound a bit unimaginative after listening to artists try to pull off the same wintery sound over and over, with so many purposefully under-produced tracks you would think a business selling only $5 microphones would be trading on the New York Stock Exchange by now. So w...