BLACK ALTAR "Na Uroczysku"
Last Writes
Here is another black metal band that I like! This tape not has a standard sound…mainly because this band seems to prefer a good, solid riff to the sixteenth note run. So in some respects, this tape takes influence from older style black metal. Some of these riffs are heavy while others are atmospheric and the whole of the songs seem to be well worked out. The vocals are rough and grumbly and growl their way through this effort. I find this act to be one of the more interesting bands surfacing from dark Poland lately. Cold and atmospheric and with a good deal of power. Check this out! Eight track total and with titles like "The Wandering of Souls" and "Echoes of the Departed Battle"
Ocean Morphique
After finding killer flyers of this band in one of my letter I contact this Polish band to get their demo and I was not disappointed! This is a quality band with original and varied songs. That is not really the typical Polish black metal, Black Altar is playing in a more unique way. Their black metal have some death and thrash influence, and they use of a drum machine even give a techno death aspect to the band. The lyrics are more typical black metal alike but very good. The moods are dark, mystical and full of fog: neter the Slavonic forests!! The cover is very good illustration of the music. The sound is also very good and so is the layout!! The new Polish band could become really big in the near future!! It is a solo project band, but that was record with a session line-up. All the worshipper of the night and of the dark and satan preacher's should test this band!
Shadow Of The Horned Rat 1998
Black Altar "Holocaust Dark Magic Metal" on easier way it's strangely (doesn't mean badly) played Black Metal. The band came to existence in 1996. They released a debut demo "Na Uroczysku…" (On a sacred spot…) about year ago. Lyrical side is very strange, half of Slavonic, half of medieval satanism…And on the cover you can also find a part of Necronomicon… Generally the music is interesting… The guy from Black Altar runs also a label Odium Rec. It's release was a demo of his band and the second one will be the split of Witchcraft and Immermorial.
Encomium'zine #3
This Olsztyn-based band features Shadow (vocals, bass, keyboards), Mateusz (session guitar in 1st track), Wojtek (session guitar in other tracks) and Docent (session drums programming). By the words of Shadow they play "Holocaust Dark Magic Metal", but for simplicity I would say that their 8-song material is sound like an old-school Death/Black stuff with a big dose of keyboard effects and harmonies. Side A contains 5 mid-paced Death/Black songs full of drum breaks, plain CELTIC FROST-like guitar riffs and evil vocal parts; while side B represents some really dark tunes with a definite ambient-character. The demo sounds in an excellent way being recorded at the famous Selani studio. Anyway the music itself is too varied, so I can advise this stuff for both Black and ambient fans as well.