NINE ALTARS – ‘The Eternal Penance’ (Good Mourning Records / Journey’s End Records)
I’ve been waiting with baited breath for the debut Nine Altars album to drop, and now finally ‘The Eternal Penance’ has arrived. A traditional/epic Doom Metal band from the UK featuring members of Winds of Genocide, Uncoffined, Thronehammer, Enshroudment, & Lucifer’s Chalice, their three track debut opus has been put out on CD by Good Morning Records, and will also be available on LP from Journey’s End Records. A quick note on the magnificent cover art; its “Church Ruins In Snow” from 1853 by Carl Georg Adolph Hasenpflug, and is perfect for an album of this nature.
Opening track ‘The Eternal Penance’ is a doleful first offering; it speaks of a person’s inner turmoil and how they seek death as a release from their never ending burden. There are religious overtones to this track that are hinted at but never said outright. In sympathy for the sombre story unfolding throughout this opening track, the slow, laborious melody also rings out an eternally melancholy rhythm, with beautiful guitar melodies and mournful bass tones being complimented by a deliberate drumming style and a vocal performance that hits all the right spots in this remorseful doom laden track.
Despite the tender meaning behind ‘The fragility of Existence’, there is a harder tone to the guitars on display during this song, and the sorrowful vocals are more soulful and powerful. Meanwhile both the performance on the drums and bass remain sturdy and intricate, adding some very solid layers to an already strong performance. Final track ‘Salvation Lost’ picks the pace up noticeably for the album’s finale, with an overall sound similar to that produced by Lucifer’s Chalice; that being a faster flowing rhythm, playful tones from the vocalist and a great deal more groove to the bass and the riffs.
Nine Altars have produced an old school masterpiece for modern times. A powerful and soothing album all at once; an album you’ll want to crack open the wine for and experience over and over again.
Burning Metal