Friday, 17 October 2025

DISCOG DISSECTION: Altarage - "Apocalyptic Dissonance as Doctrine"

 

Few bands embody sonic hostility like Altarage. Emerging from Bilbao’s shadowed depths, they’ve built a discography that doesn’t just challenge listeners — it punishes them. Their music is faceless, formless, and fiercely uncompromising, a testament to death metal’s most experimental fringes.

Their journey began with “MMXV”, a demo that snarled with intent, followed by the suffocating debut “Nihl”, where dissonance and decay reigned supreme. “Endinghent” pushed further into the abyss, layering industrial dread over tectonic riffwork. With “The Approaching Roar”, Altarage refined their assault — sharper, more immediate, yet no less punishing.

Then came “Succumb”, a descent into ritualistic noise and mechanical rhythm, followed by “Sol Corrupto”, which blurred the line between death metal and sonic architecture. “Worst Case Scenario” and the EP “Cataract" continued the evolution — chaotic, abstract, and hostile to convention.

Altarage don’t perform music. They construct sonic monoliths and let them collapse on top of you. No names. No faces. Just pure, unrelenting extremity.


THE SLUDGELORD: Cast your mind back, when did Altarage first become conceptualized because now that you’re no longer anonymous, people may not know this, but you were the founder, principal songwriter, singer and guitarist for HOTR. While you might not view your writing as markedly different, there is an obvious and dramatic shift in tone from that band to Altarage.
 
I started this as a personal project at the same time I was writing the final HOTR album, in early 2014 but the seeds were planted about 2010, I think. I was revisiting the two demos I did with my band Burial back in 1992 and approached my two old bandmates to get those songs recorded for the album that never was recorded,  but they were not into it so I kind of dismissed that option and started to write a more brutal album for HOTR, being Grengus.  A friend told me that I should start a Death Metal band again but I was comfortable doing this mix of things in HOTR. And so “Grengus” came as a very heavy record and Summoning Deliverance was even heavier and the next batch of songs was too much for HOTR so that´s when I decided to put them aside and create a proper environment for them in Altarage. There was no plan at all beyond recording an album but, slowly, the project became what it is today.
 
THE SLUGELORD: You mention you just write music and perhaps see yourself as having more in common with bands outside the sphere of extreme metal, maybe even more of a rock band. However, you must listen to a lot of dissonant rock bands, because your debut album 'NIHL' is certainly not as accessible as say Boston—or perhaps it is, if you’re a fan of dissonant music, haha. Can you say a few words about the conception of that record? Did you finish HOTR and go straight into that record? Also, forgive me for saying so, it sounds a little rough around the edges (was that by design) compared to 'Succumb', which seems more polished?
 
Well, I see ourselves having more in common with bands like The Melvins, High on Fire, Confessor or Soundgarden than with black metal bands out there, because I think we do things our way and try to not stay in one place all the time. Of course, Death Metal is our root but there´s so much going on. The “NIHL” album was recorded in early 2015 and HOTR was still functioning until the break up in December of that year, so I was doing both for a couple of years or so. Xanpe worked on the last three HOTR albums and did “NIHL” too but I needed to direct him on this new approach, doing an over the top production, totally on purpose, yes. I remember him trying to understand the sounds in the first Impetuous Ritual album was like a mindfuck!
I love Boston, by the way.
 
THE SLUDGELORD: You’re five albums deep now and it has been nearly ten years since your debut. Did your approach to each album change from one to the next? I’m guilty of failing to read liner notes, so it may be there in black and white—but did you change producers, mixers, studios, guitars, amps, and perhaps aim for something different album to album?
 
6 albums, since “Sol Corrupto” is a full length. Every time the songs are different and no matter what you do, the sound will be different too. We always try to do the best albums for us but the approach is always the same: we record live in the studio seeking the best performances and sounds. Sometimes we work with different engineers and studios just to try new things.
 

THE SLUDGELORD: You may not want to nor be able to answer this, but what would be your personal rating for each album? Can you say a few words about each album and what do you think AI would say about them?
 
Actually, I don´t give a flying fuck about AI.
I cannot rank the albums but I can tell you this:

“NIHL”
I don’t know where it came from but the riffs started to flow nonstop, although there was a huge work and changes in the actual songs until we hit the studio in spring 2015. The production was over the top, just getting away from cleaner sounds

“ENDINGHENT”
We down tuned the key to make it weirder and heavier, but the mix was something that differed from the actual sound in the studio,  hat was monstrous. The overall production is something we despised in the beginning, but the songs were huge. We are at peace with its clarity now.

“THE APPROACHING ROAR”
Here, although the majority of the songs are fast, with blasts and all, there is a sense of something breathing underneath, roaring, with a pulse of doom, and the first hints of drone.  A good way to forget the bit of deception we had with the previous album.

“SUCCUMB”
This was planned as a shorter album than it was. I kept writing songs, at first destined for the next record but, in the end, decided to include it here, because they were ripping. It was recorded and mixed by Xanpe, who did “NIHL” too and it can be noted for the over the top nature of it, culminating with the huge drone piece at the end.

“SOL CORRUPTO”
This was a long time coming. Since 2017 we were talking about doing something doomier and different. The drone tentacles were everywhere. One of my favorites LPs.

“WORST CASE SCENARIO”
I remember hearing in my head a lot of Confessor and Atheist at the time of writing this collection of songs. The production was cleaner than it was intented at first but, in the end, it was perfect for what it was.
 

THE SLUDGELORD: Recently you decided to play two shows as a regular band. Did you find the anonymity and being in a box present a challenge, hence the decision to become unmasked? To the eagle-eyed, many of us have speculated that current Wormed drummer Gabriel 'V-Kazar' Valcázar is in the band?
 
In recent times there has been like a flood of hooded or masked bands, as it was a genre in itself. At first we did it to get the focus on the music only, not saying where we came from regarding bands, but you know what? Nobody cared because they see a masked band picture and they get to the conclusion that you play the same music as this hooded or that masked band! Blackened whatever…  A lot of people listen to music with their eyes.

You almost hit the jackpot but no. Our drummer is the vocalist of Wormed, Phlegeton.
 

THE SLUDGELORD: Finally, now that you’re unmasked, what can we expect from Altarage 2.0—a new album, tour?
 
2.0? Haha, all stays the same. We have a new album about to be released that will speak for itself, and some live activity for 2026, it seems.
 

Check out my favourite Atarage albums below, let me know your thoughts, do you agree and how would you rate them? (I didn’t include “Sol Corrupto” because I thought  it was an EP)

5).
 
⚔️ “Worst Case Scenario” issued September 15th, 2023


 
🩸Stand out track(s) “Enigma Signals”, “Case Full of Putrid Stars”, “Cataract”, “Gift of Awakening”, “Verdict”, “The Rigid Subject”


4).
 
⚔️ “NIHL” issued February 26th, 2016



🩸 Stand out track(s) “Devicet”, “Womborus”, “Graehence”, “Baptism Nihil”, “Vortex Pyramid”, “Batherus”, “Altars”, Cultus”,


3).
 
⚔️ “Endinghent” issued October 13th, 2017


 
🩸 Stand out track(s) “Incessant Magma”, “Spearheaderon”, “Cataclysmic Triada”, “Rift”, “Orb Terrax”, “Weighteer”, “Barrier”



2).
 
⚔️ “Succumb” April 23rd, 2021




🩸Stand out track(s) “Negative Arrival”, “Magno Evento”, “Maneuvre”, “Foregone”, “Drainage Mechanism”, “Watcher Witness”, “Lavath”, “Forja”, “Inwards”,



1).
 
⚔️ “The Approaching Roar” issued January 29th, 2019



 
🩸 Stand out track(s) “Sighting”, “Knowledge”, “Hieroglyphic Certainty”, “Cyclopean Clash”, “Inhabitant”, “Chaworos Sephelln”, “Werbuild”, “Engineer”,


Sunday, 12 October 2025

ESSENTIAL METAL ALBUM (s): #WK41 Monday, October 6th, 2025 to Sunday, October 12th, 2025


This week’s essential metal releases shine a spotlight on a diverse group of bands pushing the boundaries of heavy music. From the progressive technical death metal intensity of Blindfolded and Led to the Woods to the uncompromising legacy of Today Is the Day, each album offers something unique for fans of the genre. Hooded Menace deliver their signature blend of doom and death, while newcomers Deathfuckingwound live up to their moniker and unleash raw, chaotic fury. Finally we get Antiversum bringing an atmospheric edge to this list, with their dark, immersive soundscapes, and finally rounding things out with Tan and Handsome dropping them Every Time I Die vibes with their new EP. Dive into these releases and discover the latest in cutting-edge metal.

 
⚔️ 🩸 Album of the week:
 
#285 BALTTW have created an unparalleled God tier death metal release”
 
⚔️ Artist: Blindfolded and Led to the Woods
🩸  Title: “The Hardest Thing About Being a God is that No One Believes Me”
⚔️ Release date: October 10th, 2025


🩸 Genre/tags:  progressive death metal, technical death metal 



#281 “The pioneers of experimental metal, redefine themselves yet again and deliver abstract perfection”

 
⚔️ Artist: Today Is The Day
🩸  Title: “Never Give In”
⚔️ Release date: October 3rd, 2025
 


🩸 Genre/tags:  experimental, noise rock



#282 striking the perfect balance of crushing heaviness and sombre beauty."
 
⚔️ Artist: Hooded Menace
🩸  Title: “Lachrymose Moments of Obscuration
⚔️ Release date: October 3rd, 2025



🩸 Genre/tags: death doom 



#283 “grinding riffage and guttural vocals, delivered with unsettling dissonant menance”
 
⚔️ Artist: Deathfuckingwound
🩸  Title: “MMXXV” 
⚔️ Release date: October 7th, 2025


 
🩸 Genre/tags:  death metal, black metal, grindcore, powerviolence



#284 “a monolithic journey through cavernous death metal, enveloping the listener in suffocating atmospheres and relentless intensity.
 
⚔️ Artist: Antiversum
🩸  Title: “De Nemesis Omnes Et Omnia”
⚔️ Release date: September 19th, 2025


🩸 Genre/tags: black metal, death metal 



#286 “Taking cues from Every Time I Die; "2 Tan and 2 Handsome" is as addictive as meth”
 
⚔️ Artist: Tan and Handsome
🩸  Title: “2 Tan 2 Handsome”
⚔️ Release date: July 11th, 2025



🩸 Genre/tags: metal, post hardcore 


Saturday, 11 October 2025

PLAYLIST: TheSludgelord's Weekly HitList #W41 October 3rd, 2025 to October 9th, 2025

 


⚔️🩸 THE SLUDGELORD’s Weekly Hitlist (Oct 3rd – Oct 9th 2025)
 

⚔️Total plays: 361
🩸 Total Artist(s): 33
⚔️Total Album(s): 40
🩸 New Track(s): 161


⚔️ Top Artist: Altarage 108 plays


🩸Top Album: Hooded Menace “Lachrymose Monuments Of Obscuration” 39 plays



⚔️ Top Track: Antiversum “Pulsar Feralis” 7 plays



⚔️🩸 THE SLUDGELORD Top 30 tracks of the week

Thursday, 9 October 2025

SONIC SELECTIONS (((o))): 10 Essential Metal Albums released in September, 2025

 

Well another month is behind us and although we say goodbye to September, it’s time for my monthly recap of the amazing music released in September and share with you my top 10 records of September 2025, otherwise known as our 10 essential Sonic Selections (((o)))

Over the course of September, I listened to an astonishing amount music and that equated to 6575 minutes (or roughly 109 hours) from 88 artists and over 478 individual tracks. In terms of this feature, our sole purpose is to focus on new music released in September and so over the course of last month, I listened to 20 new albums, and the quality of music was such that whittling it down to just ten albums was extremely difficult.

From a personal standpoint, September was a fantastic month for new music, so please do check out my favourite album(s) and I hope you can enjoy some if not all the music below.  Who needs words to review the music, when the releases are this good.  See you next month and don’t forget to check out my weekly playlists and essential records of the week which I share regularly. 

10).

⚔️ Artist: Leaker
🩸 Title: “HAPPYHOUR”
⚔️ Release date: September 12th, 2025


🩸 genre/tags: noise rock, post hardcore, sludge


9).

⚔️ Artist: viile
🩸  Title: “A Bottomless Curse, A Bottomless Sea”
⚔️ Release date: September 19th, 2025


🩸  genre/tags: progressive death metal, technical death metal, metalcore, deathcore



8).

⚔️ Artist: Motherless
🩸  Title: “Do you Feel Safe”
⚔️ Release date: September 11th, 2025


🩸  genre/tags: black metal, experimental metal, doom, sludge



7).

⚔️ Artist: Cult Burial
🩸 Title: “Collapse of Pattern, Reverence of Dust”
⚔️ Release date: September 5, 2025


🩸  genre/tags: blackened death metal, dissonant death metal, experimental death metal



6).

⚔️ Artist: Paradise Lost
🩸  Title: “Ascension”
⚔️ Release date: September 19th, 2025


 
🩸  genre/tags: goth doom, melodic death doom



5).

⚔️ Artist: Novembers Doom
🩸  Title: “Mercy”
⚔️ Release date: September 19th, 2025


🩸  genre/tags: doom



4).

⚔️ Artist: Intercourse
🩸  Title: “How I Fell in Love with the Void”
⚔️ Release date: September 12th, 2025



🩸  genre/tags: noise rock, hardcore, sludge



3).

⚔️ Artist: Crippling Alcoholism
🩸 Title: “Camgirl”
⚔️ Release date: September 12th, 2025



🩸 genre: noise rock, goth rock, synth rock, new wave



2). 🥈

⚔️ Artist: Lorna Shore
🩸  Title: “I Feel The Everblack Festering Within Me”
⚔️ Release date: September 12th, 2025



🩸  genre/tags: symphonic blackened deathcore



1). 🏆

⚔️ Artist: Revocation
🩸  Title: “No Gods, No Masters”
⚔️ Release September 25th, 2025



🩸  genre/tags: technical death metal, death metal, thrash metal


Sunday, 5 October 2025

ESSENTIAL METAL ALBUM (s): #WK40 Monday, 29 September, 2025 to Sunday, 5 October, 2025


This week in metal brings a wave of new releases and hidden gems from a variety of subgenres, offering something for every headbanger. Whether you're after melodic death metal, sludge, doom, or atmospheric black metal, the following albums are essential listens.

⚔️ 🩸 Album of the week


#276Melodic Death Metal Excellence”

⚔️ Artist: Mors Principium EST 
🩸  Title: “Darkness Invisible” 
⚔️ Release date: September 26th, 2025


Genre/tag: symphonic melodic death metal  


#277: "Soul Crushing sludge from the depths"
 
⚔️ Artist: Voidlurker 
🩸  Title: “Loathe For Life”
⚔️ Release date: September 26th, 2025



 
🩸 Genre/tags: sludge, doom



#278: "Innovative death doom blended through the avant-garde"
 
⚔️ Artist: Liminal Erosion 
🩸  Title: “In The Time Vultures Talons”
⚔️ Release date: September 26th, 2025
 


🩸 Genre/tags: death metal, doom, funeral doom, doomgaze 



#279: "Meshuggah played through a filter of instrumental sludge doom"
 
⚔️ Artist: Modder 
🩸  Title: Destroying Ourselves for a Place in the Sun”
⚔️ Release date: October 3rd, 2025



 
🩸 Genre/tags:  instrumental, doom, sludge 



#280: "Old school death with modern technical twist"
 
⚔️ Artist: Horror Within
🩸  Title: “Soul Awakening”
⚔️ Release date: October 3rd, 2025



🩸 Genre/tags: osdm, melodic death metal