Living Altar, (cool name by the way)  hail from Lithuania,  and are here to stake a claim in the metal pantheon, and with this EP they have a pretty good first effort to make their case. ( by the way, I’m not counting their demo & split ) First off, I’m really taken with the guitar sound, it just rips out of the speakers and also how the production just nails the overall vibe of what the band is about. And what this band is all about is a bit of Asphyx and a touch of Celtic Frost with the blackened intensity of Polish band Christ Agony. Basically folks, what we got us here some ripping good bestial black metal. The guitar sound is murky and abrasive at the same time, the vocals of Dainius (also the bassist) are a deep roar, similar to Daniel Corchado ( The Chasm / Incantation ) and gives the music that raw, speedier Incantation vibe at times but with more hostility injected into the sound.

Opener, “Blindening Shower of Light”, starts off slow and lumbering building with intensity but at about the 1:30 mark, the song kicks into high gear. I love the guitar solo near the end, a brief chaotic blast, to bring the song to a close. “Invert The Hearts” will bring on some brief memories of Angelcorpse riffing but all the while keeping it murkier, more old school and this makes things interesting, especially with the more plodding break about half way through, adding that menacing aural decimation. Also, if you are not quite paying attention, the song blends seamlessly into “Universe of Thralls”.

As a three piece, the band cranks out a remarkable wall of sound with the guitar and the drums cutting through clear and bright. There is not much a bass presence but it doesn’t detract too much from the aggressiveness of the music itself.  Next song, “Dawn of the Shadows”can attest to that. Thrash like guitars at times and with some fist pumping riffing and drums. Here, drummer Jonas, really makes his mark. Jumping from the pounding rythmic thumping then injecting some blast beats as well.

On researching about the band, their lyrical approach and concept seem to be a bit different and granted with the vocal approach of Dainius, you may not hear much of what he is singing about, but I like that the band does take a different approach lyrically and go with a different concept and thus gives the fans/listeners something of a newer take on things other than the typical death, satan, death and more satan topics. ( not that this is completely bad either…Ha ha)

So, at a touch over 20 minutes, this EP is great bang for the buck. You cannot go wrong with this release, nothing groundbreaking but a good take on 90’s style bestial black metal.

[Visit the band's website]

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