I am a Europhile, I’m not even going to lie. My ancestors came from there and I’ve always felt this connection to the continent; not in a stupid nationalist way but more in the spiritual realm of Slavic gods.

Upon the Altar hails from Tarnów, Lesser Poland and has been honing its swords since 2020 when they released their Demo and then they released their debut Absid ab Ordine Luminis in 2021. Descendants of Evil is a gross album, it’s grimy and filthy and leaves a smell of graveyard soil and decaying flesh in the air after it’s over… I fucking love it!  These three lads have taken Black Metal and Death Metal and put them in a vat of acid.

The first track “Baneful Benediction” hits you right in the guts. It rips with Blackened Thrash fury, and it’s forceful riffing against the blitzkrieg of the drums is just awe-inspiring. I could just say that this is Teitanblood worship and call it a day, but this album is so much more than that. It’s black, hate-filled heart beats with the pulse of the damned.

“Horror Vacui” has a Deathspell Omega taste to it, it’s perfectly vile and Bassist/ Vocalist Void delivers the lyrics with vicious malice, the discordant guitars cutting through like razors. This effect continues with “Jaldabaoth’s Breath” bringing some ominous Incantation vibes just for more unholy provocations.

That’s a huge favorite thing about this album. It has a Black Metal armor, but underneath boils a cauldron of Death Metal fury. “Unholy Follows” has that little bit of Death Metal ambience to it. It’s a thundering track, unrelenting blast beats and some off the fucking rails solos. Descendants of Evil is a crushing album, there’s “Malicious Holiness” with it’s go for the throat brutality against the whirlwind of evil elation that controls the song.

“Annunciation” is a haunting, malevolent track. It boils with an elemental destructive power; fast and furious raging toward the eradication of Christendom. “Descendants of Evil” doesn’t let up at all, it being an indomitable declaration and the title track. And a pure blacker than the blackest Metal ever created album closes with “Prolegomenon” a 1:58 dirge that coalesces the whole album and it’s a fantastic closing track to this utterly desolate yet captivating album.

Descendants of Evil is a rip ride, a triumphant Black Metal album that has a soul of bleeding malicious intent. I cannot trumpet the awesome powers contained in the eight tracks. If you like Teitanblood, Deathspell Omega and Ruins of Beverast this is right up your tree. Get it now!

[Visit the band's website]

---

Comments