Altar

Provoke

1998 Displeased Records

Review by Vladimir Levin

Thanks to Displeased for the CD

I have long awaited Altar's third release after listening to their crushing, brilliant sophomore effort, "Ego Art". "Provoke" delivers the same devastating beats, utterly relentless pounding combined with deft and imaginative guitars licks. It's this combination of utter heaviness, slick harmonies and clever pacing that makes Altar such a uniquely impressive band in the realm of death thrash.

Altar's message is one of unmistakable contempt for any kind of imposed order. The music is defiance personified, drenched in an overpowering, fluid violence. "Provoke" pounds its way into one's consciousness; the only respite seems to come in the form of intricate guitar harmonies which emerge spontaneously from chaos, delicately balanced for a moment, only to submerge again into a current of pure force.

In spite of the energy and power of the music, it's paradoxically Altar's talent for restraint and timing that makes this album stand out among the other death bands. This restraint, this building of momentum on tracks like "Silent Force" really creates the feeling of utter heaviness on this album. Amidst the musicianship, one should not forget the powerful, hoarse vocals that more than anything else uniquely identify the sound of this band. The strongest comparison I can draw about this album in terms of thrash elements harmonized with melody as well as in terms of heaviness is to Metallica's timeless "Master Of Puppets".

So in spite of losing their drummer Marco and guitar player Bert (replaced respectively by Sjoerd and Richard on the current album), Altar's latest release reinforces the band's position as the best brutal death thrash band of the day, and also demonstrates that styles outside the Gothenberg Sound are possible and can be equally successful! This effort provokes only admiration in this reviewer.

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