Pagan Altar – The Time Lord (Shadow Kingdom Records)
Back in the day, more precisely a year before I was born, in the very year 1978 the British Doomsters in PAGAN ALTAR recorded 5 tracks (one might have been recorded in ’79, no one really can remember it accurately). The recordings didn’t see the light of day until 2004, and since the then the demand for PAGAN ALTAR have lead to more releases of this small gem, and even lead to the band’s reanimation.
PAGAN ALTAR is classic late 70ties Heavy Metal/Doom… think of BLACK SABBATH when most dark, wicked and experimental and think where TWISTED TOWER DIRE found their main inspiration for their melodic anthemic Heavy Metal mayhem, that is as grande this music is. We are getting a full palette of darkness and earhanging melodies, and a great vocal performance, both the dark and gloomy voice as well of the melodic singing hits it clean.
Musically you can’t hear this recording is 34 years old, the music is fresh and up to date. The riffing is enormous and catching, the melodies great and leads the music on, the rhythm steady and a good backbone for the rest of the band, and the vocals, they are simply great. And PAGAN ALTAR does always create the right dark or anthemic atmosphere, stellar songwriting, and quite sad that music as good as this seldomly is made nowadays.
These 5 tracks could easily be the soundtrack for my fall, this music, some nice red wine and the leaves turning brown while the wind sweep them of the trees, simply mind blowing and crying for yet a spin.