Upon the Altar - Absid ab Ordine Luminis

UPON THE ALTAR - Absid ab Ordine Luminis (PUTRID CULT - CD 2021)

In the stack of CDs, which I recently got from Putrid Cult, this one immediately caught my attention. It's Upon the Altar with their debut album "Absid ab Ordine Luminis". Even before this album was released, I heard some opinions that it's gonna be a real shredder and a must for all fans of morbid metal of death. And they weren't exaggerated. This is a great album, in my opinion. At first, I was sceptic a little maybe, but all that was gone after first few spins. Imagine that I've listened to it for at least twenty times since yesterday... Not an album, which you could easily forget about. 

"Absid ab Ordine Luminis" is about two things: primitive, savage brutality and atmosphere. Primitive because music on this album is very raw and it simply has that vulgar, violent, primitive feel. Which is something not every band can do right with. I mean, being primitive just for the sake of being primitive is easy, but it mostly takes you into useless, boring wall of noise. But there are bands, which can do gold with simplistic means, like crushing, vicious riffage and bestial howls. Upon the Altar definitely composed some excellent songs here. Sure, some riffs may sound a bit like square simple, neanderthal accords, but most of this stuff is very, very impressive. And with that harsh, brutal production, "Absid ab Ordine Luminis" can still sound powerful, just as it sounds unpleasant, as there's nothing pleasant about this music. You won't find here any melodies or things, which would give even a small bit of light in this deepest and darkest hellish abyss. 

The music is almost on the verge between black and death metal, with similarities from Blasphemy, Profanatica, Von or Crucifier to Incantation, Bestial Raids and so on. Actually, wherever I looked, everyone was mentioning bands such as Vassafor, Temple Nightside, Diocletian, Teitanblood as a point of reference for Upon the Altar. Which are all excellent bands to compare Upon the Altar to as well. But what I want to say is that there's just the same savagery and bestiality in the riffage, which all these bands share. Also, a lot of this material is slow, almost doomy, which is something I like a lot, as this is where such style sounds the most vicious and malicious. And that takes us to the atmospheric part of my description. Upon the Altar's music quickly sets that blasphemous, ritualistic atmosphere... very obscure, murky, cold and hateful. Give a listen to the title track for that matter and tell if it doesn't impress you immediately. In my opinion "Absid...” definitely is a highlight on the Polish extreme metal scene of recent months. 

Standout tracks: "Mortuus Est Rex", "Wolfs of Napalm", "Absid ab Ordine Luminis" 

Verdict: 80/100