ofashanddyinglight-reviews

Review from Thy Demons Be Scribbling

Tue, 12 Jul 2016 00:46:06 +0100

From: Thy Demons Be Scribbling

Published: July 11, 2016

In the first two tracks Nachterror deliver a style infused with darkened atmosphere and elements of funeral doom executed with epic flair, emotion, fluid prose, precision and style. I’m a sucker for grandiose battery/salvo work (drums) it would be untoward of me if I weren’t to mention the remarkable talent on display ala Misery Index/ Dying Fetus. Overall a style that puts me in mind of a mid-era Amorphis, even in instances Swallow the Sun but with more of an emphasis on symphonic darkness intertwined with blistering, technical, black metal. An altogether amazing style bordering on avante garde (or slightly ‘different’ than the norm if you prefer).

Altars of Grief have an unmistakable Novembers Doom vibe, that of beauty and sweeping melodies, add to that epic themes and mid-tempo groove laden death and black interludes reminiscent of My Dying Bride with a dual vocal arrangement (clean traditional and unholy shrieks) and you have an act that demands attention.

Overall an excellent showing from two acts that boldly state that Canada is no place to overlook in relation to metal with a grandeur edge. Pick this up and keep an eye on both very promising acts.

Rating: 4.5/5

Review from Heathen Harvest Periodical

Sun, 05 Jun 2016 19:55:45 +0100

From: Heathen Harvest Periodical

Published: June 4, 2016

Original Link

Bands like Nachtterror and Altars of Grief certainly challenge any preconceived notions people may have of metal bands. Both contain a subtle beauty that is more classical than any of the other images the genre conjures up, and the emotional aspects of both could bring anyone to their knees in despair. This is an excellent split between two bands that fit well together in their attempt to show how moving this music can be.

Nachtterror begins things with a ferocious growl that quickly takes you on a powerful journey through its strong use of classically inspired work, fitting more comfortably into a ballet than a mosh pit. While I know “The Breath of the World, Ablaze” is all synths, I can still imagine a small orchestra playing along with Nachtterror, as the dancers twirl and spin a story of longing and loss. Its power is not to be contained, however, for just as suddenly, things speed up in a triumphant climax that unleashes an excellent mixture of melodic guitars with ferocious drums, only to unravel in a riff barrage that brings the genre of symphonic black metal back to all its former glory.

“Upon Ashes Shores” continues the story with a track much longer in duration and focused more on melody. These confident, clean vocals create a powerful lament that is bound to impact the most hardened souls. What we are talking about here is the kind of song that thousands of diehard metal fans can sing along to in one of those lovely moments where no one is watching. This is the kind of band I would have expected to be opening for Dimmu Borgir in the days when that style was gaining an incredible amount of attention, for those of you old enough to remember that time. They truly have that kind of sound which has the capability of blowing the listener away and taking them to another world. Between balancing melody with intensity, this band has it all.

Things continue with Altars of Grief—a band that has recently caught my attention for its ability to conjure the ghost of David Gold. Theirs is a sound which sounds in many ways like a continuation of Woods of Ypres, except better. As the saying goes, “the student has defeated the master,” and I am glad to have a second chance to explore such powerful and moving music which, in retrospect regarding Woods of Ypres, I unfortunately somewhat ignored.

It is rare to hear a bass guitar create such powerful melodies, but this just goes to show how confident Altars of Grief are. They are willing to give every instrument the ability to shine. Its mixture of melodic doom and black metal is very moving, specifically the clean vocal performance which is the most comparable to Gold’s performances. Even the lyrics are similar, with lines such as “these years have stolen everything from me, but time cannot claim your memory,” which is such a well-written line and, again, an improvement from their influence in many ways, though I should be clear that they haven’t simply tread another project’s clearly defined path.

I guess it’s no surprise that the bands sound so good together (they do share a guitarist, after all), but many differences do exist overall. For one, Altars of Grief is much more melodic; out of the two, I can imagine them even experimenting with having no metal elements present in their sound at all, but they are also much more riff-based, as doom in general tends to be. Nachtterror’s melodies are much more classically influenced, and the balance with the heavier sections makes them even stronger. Both bands have something to offer that is powerful and moving, and will be just as quick to emotionally move you as to make you want to move your head with the rhythm. These are both fine examples of contemporary extreme metal and are worth checking out if you miss everything from Stormblast to The Green Album.

Reviewed by: Patrick Bertlein

Review from SicMaggot Webzine

Tue, 15 Dec 2015 20:57:41 +0100

From: Sicmaggot Webzine

Published: December 3, 2015

Original Link

Úplně na rovinu, kapel jako Altars of Grief nebo Nachtterror bych si za normálních okolností nevšiml. Oba spolky se netváří nijak výjimečně, slova chvály na jejich účet adresovaná jsem nezaznamenal a nebýt kanadského vydavatelství Hypnotic Dirge Records, o jejich existenci bych jednoduše nevěděl. Jenže už v minulosti se prokázalo, že ignorovat nahrávky tohoto sympatického lejblíku se nevyplácí, a když z Kanady přišla i žádost na recenzi splitka výše zúčastněných, rád jsem vyhověl.

Altars of Grief a Nachtterror kromě kanadského původu a jednoho personálního propojení spojuje ještě fakt, že zde větší zkušenosti hledat nelze. Služebně starší kapela, Nachtterror, sice na scéně působí již od roku 2006, ale diskografie spíš ukazuje na nárazové paběrkování. Dvě minialba, žádná řadovka, za deset let žádná hitparáda. Naopak o sedm let mladší Altars of Grief už mají dlouhohrající debut za sebou a zatímco u Nachtterror to vypadá na živoření, tábor Altars of Grief, zdá se, plnohodnotně žije. No a muzika? Mimoto, že pro další řádky bude klíčovým slovem termín metal (konkrétně jeho blacková a doomová větev), tak řeč výrazně přijde třeba na klávesy. Zato vizuální stránku nahrávky raději nechme být. Nechci si kazit den…

O první polovinu splitu se postarali symfonicky blackoví Nachtterror, což, dovolím si poznamenat, není úplně šťastná volba. Pomineme-li teď kvalitativní stránku – k té se ještě dostaneme –, kapela válcuje své nepospíchající kolegy velmi svižným tempem a sálající energií. Onen symfonický black metal z pera Nachtterror navíc splňuje většinu předpokladů pro to, aby se mi líbil. Není přehnaně bombastický, hlavní roli hrají stále kytary a ani skladatelsky nejde o marnou práci, což jde s absencí zbytečného klávesového nánosu tak trochu ruku v ruce.

Svěžesti materiálu prospívá nejen nezávadné množství užitých orchestrací, ale rovněž dvojice atributů spojující oba zainteresované spolky. Zaprvé – občasné přizpůsobení tempa doomovým kolegům. I když nejde o nic velkého, na potřebné obměny nálad to stačí. Zadruhé – čisté vokály. Ty totiž obstarává stejná persóna jako v Altars of Grief, takže propojovací element tu je dokonce i fyzický. Navíc ono fyzično zpívá velmi dobře a potrhuje tak fakt, že strana Nachtterror se velmi dobře poslouchá, navíc příjemně rychle plyne. Slabších míst sice není nejmíň, ale kolem a kolem, určitě jsem se nenudil.

Zatímco Nachtterror své pozice vyklízí skrze monumentální „Belial“, doomovější Altars of Grief přichází ve skromnosti. Svou část kapela otvírá pro death/doom klasickou kytarovou akustikou, která metalový zbytek pravidelně střídá ještě několikrát. Nechybí obligátní střídání čistých vokálů a řevu, ani všudypřítomná zádumčivá atmosféra. Krom docela slušné atmosféry ale nosných nápadů moc není. V metalových pasážích nepředvádí kytary, ani bicí sekce nic přesvědčivého, a vše tudíž zůstává na klávesovém podmáznutí a vokálech. Asi nejsvětlejší moment přichází spolu s „Your Heaven“, kde si Altars of Grief dobře pohrávají gradací. Právě tady hledejme úsek, kdy si kapela zaslouží přízvisko nadprůměrná. Zbylé minuty však bohužel ukazují spíš na opačné vody a celkový pocit ze strany Altars of Grief končí někde u solidně poslouchatelného silnějšího podprůměru.

Pakliže bych měl vybírat, strana Nachtterror se mi zamlouvá víc. Nejde o nějaký enormní nadprůměr či něco vybočujícího, ale vzhledem k tomu, že já obecně symfonické metaly ne úplně rád a tohle mi přišlo víc než poslouchatelné, tak zvedám ruku právě pro Nachtterror. Ani Altars of Grief nijak nezklamali, poslouchá se to taktéž slušně, ale v mých očích jsou pro tentokrát těmi druhými. Obdobně mohu zhodnotit i split jako celek. Zařazení obou kapel na jednu nahrávku dává smysl, celé splitko se dobře poslouchá, ovšem opět musím užít onu dvojici slov „ti druzí“, Nachtterror nyní nevyjímaje. První liga se nehraje ani na jedné straně, nadprůměrné momenty pravidelně střídají ty podprůměrné a celkově musím poznamenat, že účinek hudby obou těles byl krátkodobý. Vše se totiž začalo vypařovat až příliš rychle.

Reviewed by: Skvrn

Review from Aristocrazia Webzine

Mon, 12 Oct 2015 19:59:43 +0100

From: Aristocrazia Webzine

Published: October 11, 2015

Original Link

La città canadese di Regina è la località che dà vita allo split "Of Ash And Dying Light", le band coinvolte provengono infatti dal capoluogo della provincia del Saskatchewan, ma questo non è l'unico elemento che hanno in comune: la presenza di Erik Labossiere — chitarra e voce — e soprattutto la dedizione a sonorità a cavallo tra Black e Doom Metal caratterizzano queste due realtà, seppur in forme leggermente diverse.

Tocca ai Nachtterror aprire le danze: il loro approccio è orientato principalmente al Black sinfonico, nel quale però vengono inseriti numerosi rallentamenti; "The Breath Of The World, Ablaze" esalta soprattutto questo aspetto tramite le sue brevi accelerazioni e — più in generale — le sue dinamiche in continua mutazione, che ci fanno apprezzare l'abilità del batterista. In questo brano risalta inoltre il tocco epico e allo stesso tempo elegante delle tastiere, che ben si adatta alla volontà del gruppo di raccontare storie attraverso la propria musica. La successiva "Upon Ashen Shores" è invece contraddistinta da un crescendo sempre più maestoso: l'incipit atmosferico si trasforma lentamente fino ad arrivare a una pausa che conduce a un'accelerazione in cui il chitarrista sforna un ottimo assolo. Il lavoro delle chitarre è in effetti molto buono, sia nelle fasi di supporto agli altri strumenti sia in quelle in cui donano più cattiveria attraverso riff che talvolta mostrano un certo retrogusto Death. La punta di diamante è però costituita dalle voci, che tra scream, growl e pulito — quest'ultimo molto presente — riescono a rendere interessante ogni passaggio, adattando il proprio stile alle emozioni fornite dalla musica.

Giunge quindi il turno degli Altars Of Grief, il cui sound si avvicina maggiormente a un Doom dai toni Gothic, senza comunque disdegnare elementi derivati dal Black e dal Death. Fin dai primi istanti di "In Dying Light" viene naturale accostare il sound a quello dei Woods Of Ypres; considerando che la band di David Gold si è dovuta fermare a causa della scomparsa del suo leader, fa indubbiamente piacere trovare musicisti che portano avanti degnamente questo stile. Le sonorità sono cupe e caratterizzate da sensazioni di malinconia e sconforto. I riff delle chitarre che specialmente in "Your Heaven" ci regalano diverse gioie, l'accompagnamento delle tastiere che al contrario viene messo in mostra nella prima traccia, i tempi quasi mai improntati alla velocità della sezione ritmica e ancora l'alternanza tra i vari stili vocali: la combinazione di tutti questi elementi fa sì che gli Altars Of Grief riescano spesso a toccare i tasti giusti per generare un certo tipo di emozioni. L'aggressività è limitata, la band preferisce trarre vantaggio dalla propria capacità di creare atmosfere fatte di ombre e incubi.

"Of Ash And Dying Light" è uno split che mette in mostra le qualità di Nachtterror e Altars Of Grief: un'ottima collaborazione tra due realtà che meriterebbero maggiore attenzione. Se avete dato un'occhiata alla scaletta, avrete notato che ho parlato solo di quattro brani: questo perchè i rimanenti tre sono bonus disponibili scaricando l'album dalla pagina Bandcamp dell'etichetta e preferirei lasciare a voi il gusto di scoprirli; sappiate solo che nel caso foste fan della saga di "Silent Hill", avrete un motivo in più per dare un ascolto al disco.

Reviewed by: Gabriele Strano

Review from Lords of Metal

Mon, 12 Oct 2015 19:57:31 +0100

From: Lords of Metal

Published: October 1, 2015

Original Link

This 10” contains two bands from Saskatchewan in Canada. This vinyl disc is limited to 300 copies and contains two songs by both bands. There’s also a digital edition on which there are three more songs. I’ll stick to the 10” though as that is the one that was sent to us.

On side A we get Nachtterror; a band that mixes black metal with doom and comes across as a mix of Morgion and Dimmu Borgir to my ears. It’s heavy and bombastic. A fine band of which you can find two more songs on the digital edition.

The band on side B, Altars Of Grief, I like the best. They also deliver two songs which means they added one more track to the digital version. That song is a cover of the track ‘Room Of Angel’ by Akira Yamaoka and Mary Elizabeth McGlynn that was used for the Silent Hill 3 game. The thing I like most about Altars Of Grief is the fact they mix doom/death metal with post metal. It sounds a bit like a mix of Paradise Lost, Moonspell and Woods Of Ypres. The bands present themselves in a great way on this 10” and therefore it is worthwhile to check out.

Rating: 78/100

Reviewed by: Pim B.

Review from Metallifer Blog

Tue, 08 Sep 2015 23:33:02 +0100

From: Metallifer Blog

Published: September 6, 2015

Original Link

Hypnotic Dirge Records a sorti cet été un très bel album. Il s’agit du split réunissant les groupes Nachterror et Altars Of Grief. Ce split se présente comme un vinyle qui réunit 2 titres par groupe avec deux visuels différents chacun pour chaque côté de l’album. Cet album existe aussi en format numérique avec des titres bonus.

Side A - Nachtterror

Nachterror est un groupe canadien actif depuis 2006 qui a à son actif l’Ep autoproduit The Funeral of Man (2008) et l’Ep Beneath the Crimson Moon (2012) encore une fois autoproduit. La fiche que l’on trouve sur metal-archives.com annonce du symphonic black metal. Ceci n’est pas vrai à mon sens puisque sur ce split Of Ash and Dying Light, Nachtterror fait du black metal à fond atmosphérique. Breath of the World Ablaze alterne moment death / black metal à moments plus acoustiques et intimiste que l’on pourrait qualifier d’atmosphérique. La force de ce titre est carrément dans ce mélange dans cette alternance dans cette lutte entre un côté extrême et un côté plus sombre. Ensuite Upon Ashen Shores est un chef d’œuvre. Il y a une mélancolie, une fragilité et un désespoir qui sont vraiment ressentis et mis en valeur dans ce titre. Toute la fragilité de l’existence apparaît dans ses harmonies et ses voix claires qui se mélangent à merveille avec un côté obscur souligné par des accélérations et des voix plus extrêmes. Il y a de la poésie. De la poésie et du désespoir.

Fall of the Sabbath est un titre bonus extrême qui apparat un peu fade juste perce que il se trouve après le merveilleux Upon Ashen Shores et il était très difficile de garder la barre très haute. Belial est encore un titre bonus cette fois ci très réussi toujours par ses atmosphères avec un sentiment de menace qui plane tout le long de l’écoute.

Nachterror signe une face A de très bonne facture et originalité. L’inspiration est bonne ainsi que la technique. Le plus ce sont les émotions que Nachterror arrive à véhiculeur de la par le biais de sa musique. Nachtterror planche actuellement sur son nouvel album qui se nomme "Judgement".

Side B - Altars of Grief

Altars of Grief est lui aussi un groupe canadien actif depuis 2013. Il a à son actif le single Only Our Scars (2014) autoproduit et l’album This Shameful Burden (2014) autoproduit lui aussi. Encore une fois sur metal-archives.com on peut lire que le groupe est etiquetté comme Black/Funeral Doom Metal. Sur cet album Altars of Grief fait du black metal atmospherique mais à difference de Nachterror, Altars of Grief a un côté shoegaze très développé. Le son et les atmosphères sont sombres mais plus directes et mélodiques (on reste toujours dans l’extrême, quand même). L’opener In Dying Light résume bien ce que l’on dit. Une voix écorchée s’alterne à voix claires et les lignes mélodiques qui soutiennent ces titres restent mélancoliques. Des mélodies soulignées aussi par les ‘ohh – ohh’ en guise de chœurs mis en toile de fond à une voix écorchée. Your Heaven lorgne du côté black metal avec son tremolo picking mais encore une fois les mélodies sont là soulignées par les breaks acoustiques. Le titre bonus Room of Angel est un mid tempo avec un côté pink floyd très développé. Voix claire et grunt se mélent, s’alternent sur une sorte d’oraison funèbre planante. Un titre à mi-chemin entre invocation et chanson.

Altars of Grief signe une face B qui va très bien avec la face A. Cette face B est toujours aussi sombre et introspective mais elle laisse entrevoir une sorte de lumière au bout du tunnel et pourquoi pas, une ouverture vers d’autres formes de spiritualité ?

Rating: 9/10

Reviewed by: Cristiano Basso

Review from Doom-metal.com

Fri, 07 Aug 2015 23:15:48 +0100

From: Doom-metal.com

Published: August 5, 2015

Original Link

About six months ago, we reviewed Altars Of Grief's debut release 'This Shameful Burden', and in a subsequent interview learned that this was to be the next project: a 10" split with fellow Saskatchewan act Nachtterror through Canada's Hypnotic Dirge label. A limited run of 300 physical copies in a doublesided cover - 100 going to each of the bands and 100 to the label webstore - with free stickers from HDR, parallels the earlier-in-2015 7" Lycanthia/Atten Ash split that marked HDR's first venture into vinyl. It's supplied with a free download of the (separately purchasable) digital album version, which includes an extra 3 tracks - covering 18 minutes of music - that effectively take it from an EP to a full-length release.

Aside from the local connection, there's a limited overlap between the bands: Nachtterror, up first, are essentially pretty much a pure Black Metal oufit that occasionally drop into a slower, doomy atmosphere. So, whilst parts of the track 'Upon Ashen Shores' wouldn't, say, sound completely out of place on something by Woods Of Ypres, most of the remainder of their contribution bounds along with a pace, enthusiasm and fairly eclectic spread of instruments which is far more reminiscent of Progressive/Black collective Hortus Animae. That's a compliment, in that I do rate the creativity and sound of the Italian veterans very highly, but it would be a stretch to give it any sort of realistic Doom label. Still, if you also don't flinch too hard at mentions of bands like Cemetary or Nebular Moon, you'll find some very decent symphonically-inclined tunes here, with Gothic touches in the melody lines and use of (synthesized) strings plus piano. With three vocalists contributing different shades of clean and extreme voice, there's a good spread of variety narrating the busy bombast that you'd expect to run through such compositions, making it a listenable and entertaining package. The aforementioned '...Ashen Shores' will probably hold most appeal for doomsters, but the pick of the tracks, for me, would be the long, evolving, grandiose stomp of the bonus offering 'Belial'.

Altars Of Grief take over for the second side, with something that could almost be a continuation, as it finds them indulging their most blackened traits in a mid-tempo atmospheric piece that, once again, could slot in with a (more latterday) Woods Of Ypres. Unlike Nachtterror, though, the pace seems more incidental, and the sections of rapid drum kicks don't prevent much of 'In Dying Light' from maintaining a solemn heaviness that lingers, forlorn and desolate, within the borders of Doom. The trademark vocal rasps, emotive clean interjections, and equal parts furious-and-anguished Post-Metal-ish howls of Damian Smith, with Erik Labossiere's backing, make an expected welcome return, between them carrying a lot of the genuine feeling of grief and misery that characterises Altars Of Grief's music. Those may be the focus, when present, but there's still plenty happening with the guitars and bass, roaming from quiet acoustic moments to satisfyingly crunching riffs, plus some melancholy keyboards. Happily, my minor niggle about the slightly obtrusive drums on the debut album seems to have been fixed entirely, improving the presence of the percussion and giving a nicely balanced soundstage all round. That's perhaps most noticeable on the ever-changing dynamism of 'Your Heaven', whose cold hurtfulness is my personal highlight of the album, though not the doomiest. That particular honour belongs to the bonus cover of Akira Yamaoka's 'Room Of Angel', here given a makeover of full Death/Doom rawness. I'd still take the original version, with it's subtler intonations and Mary Elizabeth McGlynn's wistful vocals, but this does a good job of showing an alternative - more brutally resentful - aspect which remains true to the spirit of the Silent Hill games for which it was composed.

So, something of a mixed bag, loosely connected by shared ground in influences, living up to the label slogan of 'An Auditory Palette For The Estranged And Eclectic'. There's definitely most to be unearthed for those who really appreciate melodic Black Metal, and it will prove hard going if that's a definite no-go genre. For everyone in between, well, it's certainly worth a listen, even if only to the 'Doom side' to catch up with where Altars Of Grief have developed and matured since their effective debut (though it'd be a shame not to also take a peek at Nachtterror while you're there). It's a tough call, but bear in mind the score is assessing 'Of Ash And Dying Light' in terms of its value as a Doom album: taken as a purely Metal release, it would deserve more.

Rating: 7.5/10

Reviewed by: Mike Liassides

Review from Bravewords

Fri, 07 Aug 2015 23:14:36 +0100

From: Bravewords

Published: July 29, 2015

Original Link

Amazing that there are two bands playing blackened doom from Saskatchewan, but here's some evidence, a spit 10" featuring both of 'em. Altars Of Grief prove to be adept at both sludgier doom sounds and more flamboyant black; me, I definitely prefer the former, and while I applaud their attempts at singing it comes off a bit flat and distracting. Generally, though, a good mix of sounds here, the doom accentuated with blasting black, and the blasting black never getting too repetitive before the doom comes crashing in.

Nachtterror at first seem to be more on the black spectrum, the band getting carnival-y with the keys during their first tune but then hitting a slower doom pace (to reiterate: two blackened doom bands from Saskatchewan!). Again, I'm not entirely sold on the clean singing, but I'd urge both bands to keep at it rather than drop it, as it can be effective. There's actually a decent amount of variety here between these two groups (smart money is on at least one being a solo project, of course), and while both have room to grow, this is a decent enough split.

Rating: 6.5/10

Reviewed by: Greg Pratt

Review from Toilet Ov Hell

Mon, 27 Jul 2015 20:48:54 +0100

From: Toilet Ov Hell

Published: July 27, 2015

Original Link

Note: This is a record swap. Spear gives an introduction on the release and swaps it with Edward who writes the bulk of this review.

Every now and then, I’ll be going through new releases and come across something that grabs my attention and refuses to let go. Perhaps it was because I didn’t expect much from a split by two self-described blackened doom bands, but I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed both bands. Nachtterror stays on the faster side of things while Altars of Grief bring the album to a depressive crawl, but both make good use of mixed vocal styles and light symphonic elements. Knowing Edward’s tastes tend to be a little more extreme than mine, I decided to send him this split to get his take on something that might lie more within my sphere than his. – Spear

Judging by the cover on Of Ash and Dying Light, I assumed my assignment would be some strange mash up of black metal and tech death. Nachtterror’s logo looks like that of many black metal bands, while Altars of Grief’s bolder logo looks like bands on the tech spectrum. The art appears to be a scene from nature, but the blues and purples color scheme strays from most of the black metal covers I’ve seen. Are those hooded figures or trees? Is there a man in the front wearing a crown of thorns? After squinting at it for several minutes, I pushed play on the album. Turns out I was only slightly correct about the music. Both bands play in and around doom metal the most – think Woods of Ypres rather than Yob.

Nachtterror open up their half of Of Ash and Dying Light with a prolonged, low growl. What follows on “The Breath of the World, Ablaze” is an amalgamation of several styles of metal – chunky doom, death and symphonic black metal combine into a track which varies wildly. The growls give way to mournful clean singing and melodic guitar playing, then reappear underneath. “The Breathe of the World, Ablaze” gains stream into its finale, which somehow maintains its epic feel while instruments are flung into each other at peak velocity. “Upon Ashen Shores” opens with a simple riff, slow drums, and more clean singing. It’s doomier than the first track, more steady; it builds at a consistent rhythm and adds symphonic elements closer to its finish. Its end follows the pattern set before, fast and dramatic.

Altar of Grief’s presence on here makes a lot of sense. They share many similarities with Nachtterror: clean singing mixed with growls and screams, playing a variety of styles over the course of a single song, and music with an epic and emotional sound. They’re a bit more straightforward; the songs are more cohesive on their half of this split. Altar of Grief can take credit for Of Ash and Dying Light’s heaviest moment too, the opening to “Your Heaven” surprised me when it rumbled out of my speakers.

Spear told me the style of these bands wasn’t what he thought I listened to often, and he was correct. I hadn’t heard of either band beforehand (as per our official rules). Nonetheless, this is a solid showing from both bands involved. The setup on this split works. Two long songs for each band, with almost equal time between them. It’s available on Bandcamp for ‘name your price’.

Reviewed by: Edward

Review from Heavy Blog is Heavy

Mon, 27 Jul 2015 20:46:49 +0100

From: Heavy Blog is Heavy

Published: July 27, 2015

Original Link

Split releases are a common theme in today’s metal underground. It’s a great way for relatively unknown bands with similar sounds to get noticed by putting out splits with friends, and they generally go one of two ways: both parts of the split are great, or one band has a much stronger side than the other. Splits are generally good, because chances are if you pick one up, you like at least one of the bands on it. This review is about a solid sludge / doom / black metal release by Nachterror and Altars Of Grief, and we’re going to split both sides into two small reviews, and average out the scores at the end to get an overall rating for the entire album.

Nachterror: Side A

Being relatively unfamiliar with this band, it could have been easy to shrug them off as a typical doom band with black metal style vocals, but as their songs progress, that is far from the case. The songs, bonus track included, are a very interesting blend of black metal and doom, blending Woods Of Ypres style spoken baritone vocals with black metal screams and tremolo picking. It goes from 0 to 100 in a matter of seconds, and this change is what keeps the side interesting. Just when you think the band will do one thing, something you didn’t expect to hear occurs, and it’s extremely refreshing.

The songs are extremely punchy, but the best by far is the track ‘Upon Ashen Shores’, largely due to the sheer intensity of the music. Even when the pace is slowed, the energy brews silently until it all erupts with one fiery, vicious burst that sends you into the deepest depths of despair, agony, and hatred. This band took common themes from doom and black metal and blended them into one, which is a feat that was done very well and really lends itself to the overall quality of this band’s performance on their side of the record. Hopefully their next full length will continue where this monstrosity left off.

Altars Of Grief: Side B

This side is a slightly different story, however, largely due to the common thread that is black metal. They blend it with doom as well, but their tone is far darker. It has an inherent evil within it, an anger that is only personified by their singer’s howling screams over their brooding sounds. However, this side is not as effective musically, largely due to the lack of diversity. Despite only being a split, you get the feeling that if this were to continue on for three or four more songs, you would get very exasperated and slightly agitated at the repetitiveness of it all. The pace rarely changes above the dragging, mid-tempo sludge that covers their entire side.

However, this side makes a better use of all of the synthetic orchestral sounds that the previous side. They seem much better placed than the first half of the split, and definitely fit their overall theme better. Additionally, the songs work better in just three pieces to a whole, as opposed to side A where each song is better by themselves and by themselves alone. The band have yet to find their true stride, but once they do, they will surely reach new heights as a metal act.

Overall, this split will tickle the fancy of any doom fan, any black metal fan, and even any sludge metal fan. It has a little bit for everyone to enjoy, and will go down as one of the heaviest releases of this year. These bands worked really well together on this split, and hopefully they tour together beyond their four Canadian dates, or even record another split, in the near future.

Rating: Nachtterror Side - 4/5 ; Altars of Grief side - 3.5/5

Reviewed by: Spencer Snitil