Altar of Betelgeuze - Among the Ruins (2017)
Altar of Betelgeuze have been picking
up plenty of acclaim for this album already, but the constraints of
time being what they are, we've not yet had a chance to feature them
here on The Burning Beard. That long-running mistake is now
corrected, and the seven tracks assembled by the Finnish quartet for
Among the Ruins decisively
show that all the hype is founded on worthiness. Mixing sludge,
doom, heavy rock, death metal, and more, the group goes for a
free-rolling trip through heaviness and taut grooves, generally
feeling more warm than vicious, but keeping a sharp edge to their
instrument tones and performance.
Though
over half of the songs break the six-minute mark, the album rarely
feels as though it's dragging, thanks to some tight use of melody
shifting and clever bridge twisting. There's enough variety to the
moodiness that while it initially feels like a summer head-banger,
the anger and snarls could work just as well in a depressive winter
context, so there's some all-year value for you. And while the
descriptions of the musical style mix had me expecting (unfairly, I
admit) some Acid Bath-like mania, AoB keep things on a comparatively
tight leash, spooling out their transitions in a form that can be
followed without too much trouble. The road to the end comes with
its fair share of bumps and bruises, throwing itself between wild and
measured expressions, but on the whole, it's a trip on which
listeners are invited to ride along with the band. Throw it in your
deck, play it at high volume, and take it as it comes.
~
Gabriel
For
Fans Of; Desert Suns, Lesbian, Norska, Wolf Blood, Wounded Giant
~
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