Historically, December has always been a music desert. The year is for all purposes finished. Our favorite bands have better things to do like spend the holidays with their families and glance over the various year end lists flooding social media (don’t worry, mine drops next week). As I drift throughout this December desert, parched of metal, I notice a towering monolith in the distance. Could it be? It is! One last death metal album before the new year! And in what was a pretty strong year for veterans (Cannibal Corpse, Asphyx) and newcomers (Sanguisugabogg, Galvanizer) alike, Texan troglodytes Malignant Altar have arrived to end the year with a bang.
I remember checking out Malignant Altar’s 2019 demos, Ceremonial Decapitator and Retribution of Jealous Gods, upon their release and really digging their brand of knuckle dragging death metal. Some of their riffs touched upon the ungodliest realms of doom. Think in the vein of Cianide as opposed to the Peaceville three. In other words, death metal with doomy moments, not full blown death/doom. I thought to myself, “I’d love to hear this formula expanded upon in the form of a full length release.” It took two years, but it was sure worth the wait.
Realms of Exquisite Morbidity is Malignant Altar’s debut full length. At 33 minutes and 6 tracks (1 of which is a dark ambient soundscape), one could argue it’s more of an EP, but hey, I’m not going to dissect discrepancies. No matter what you want to call it, there’s no denying the lethal level of death being dealt on this audio offering of disgust. This is made evident from the opening cut, “Channeling Impure Apparitions”: dark, misanthropic death metal tuned lower than hell itself. There’s lots of Morbid Angel-isms in the riffing and arrangement, but not to the point of ripping the ancient gods off. The ignorant barbarism of “Usurping the Pantheon Crown” and pulverizing ferocity of “Belial Rebirth (Metempsychosis)” hit hard as well, the latter balancing pummeling grooves and frantic death/thrash.
The band’s doom metal side is most evident on “Ceremonial Decapitator”. This rerecorded dirge sounds like a lost cut off Autopsy’s Mental Funeral, but with Trey Azagthoth sitting in on guitar. It’s filthy, putrid, and evil, with a cringe inducing outro. I mean this in the best sense of the term. There’s nothing better than an unexpected brutal riff that makes your face turn inside out. All these aspects of Malignant Altar’s sound come together on the closer, “Rites of Krasue”: a violent brawl of doom, thrash, death, and groove. These guys are without a doubt a tightknit unit who can lay down some vile shit and then some.
I’ve got to hand it to Malignant Altar. Realms of Exquisite Morbidity has appeased my bloodthirst for death metal for the rest of the year. It’s just a good thing there’s only a little over two weeks left in the year. And even if there aren’t any death metal bangers in January (another historically slow month), at least I’ve got my beloved Severed Survival to hold me over.
7 out of 10
Label: Dark Descent Records
Genre: Death Metal
For fans of: Morbid Angel, Autopsy, Cianide