Pagan Altar - Volume I

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1. Pagan Altar
2. In the Wake of Armadeus
3. Judgement of the Dead
4. The Black Mass
5. Night Rider
6. Acoustics
7. Reincarnation

Terry Jones - vocals
Alan Jones - guitar
Trevor Portch - bass
John Mizrahi - drums


Pagan Altar is the greatest, for sure.
Actually this is just a compilation but you can easily count this one as a full-lenght album because before this the band had only released one demo-tape before this. This is actually the "official" release of that demotape, and it came out in 1998.

Besides Witchfinder General, this band formed in 1978 and with huge lack of attention, is one of those who began with ye old nwobhm and evolved to the thing that was to be the traditional doom metal. Not a bad solution at all I'd say.

The brothers Jones are in the middle. Terry handles the amazing nose-vocals by the doom-handbook and Alan smashes the delicious riffs. Rhytm-section is properly taken care of
by the duo Trevor Portch and John Mizrahi. Pagan Altar never had one, longer and solid line-up but the Jones's kept the machine going on and we should be very grateful for that to happen.

The title song starts with some gloomy monk-chanting and then continues to the first, majestetical riff that tells it all. Alan Jones is the king and one of the most underrated metal-guitarists of all time.
The sounds on the album are a bit snuffy as it's supposed to be. Terry Jones sings his occult-vocals just properly between the notes and the overall athmosphere on the album is just pure gold.

In The Wake Of Armadeous doesn't leave himself behind and the clever rhytming just kills you without mercy. From the synthezised beginning of Judgment Of The Dead we go on to The Black Mass. This song is a one fucking diamond, just adore this one. The chorus is one of the best I've ever heard.
After Night Rider we slow things down a bit and mellow with Acoustics and Reincarnation.
Reminds me a bit of Witchfinder General's ultracorny 'I Lost You', but even better. Terry just has it.

I guess that's all the blind cheering for this beauty of an album. Get it, listen to it.
It's absolutely flawless.

5/5

Ohhh thanks for this review! You're totally right in every point!

Fantastic review Couma...Thank you and keep em coming...

amazing band, great review

Alan Jones is the king and one of the most underrated metal-guitarists of all time.

These songs are the epitome of what I view music should be. Great review. I will jam this record for years and years, loud.

Everyone in this thread will have good fortunes to come!