Bastard Altar –
“Struggling Beams of a Waning Moon” (Geistraum Records / Escafismo Records,
2021)
You probably heard of Bow Wielder
before, right? A Raw Black Punk Metal act from Virginia, USA. Well, the lad
behind this insane entity created one more of these insane entities, by the
name of Bastard Altar. Unlike its odd brother, Bastard Altar lives on a slightly
distinct universe. Wait, we still have powerful moments of rage and
aggressiveness, but Ben added an element that I have loved since I first
started with black metal: keyboards. Those small, very well-placed moments,
where the keyboard is the most important element in the song… it is amazing. It
is, indeed, a relatively short Demo, but a gigantic one at the same time.
2 songs, 2 instrumental moments (Intro
and Interlude). These moments where no voice is heard, are particularly
intense, in my opinion. Peaceful and slow, we get entangled in its webs, its
melodies that lure us into this black, bottomless pit, claustrophobic abyss…
this is Black Metal at its best. Call it Raw, call it Melodic, I have no
interest in labeling it, if I may be honest. It still holds aa bit of that rage
we get from Bow Wielder, yet it is much more controlled, directed if I may,
instead of just exploding, and hitting everything and everyone around.
Masterfully crafted, completely.
“A Glacial Tomb” ends the release, and
what an ending. Majestically, without a doubt. In line with the title, it takes
me to cold mountains and snowy days. The keyboards do help in giving it that
winter vibe. Nonetheless, it is a remarkable release, a very cold and beautiful
concept of Black Metal. Slow to mid-paced rhythm, melodic riff, hollowing
vocals, charging drums, all is perfectly aligned.
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