ALTARAGE
Shadow-born and mysterious experimental death metal horde Altarage hail from Bilbao, Spain and are creators of an absurd and twisted aural apocalypse which stands entirely on its own, almost as an alien world or remote reign to which only they have the key. These nameless and faceless sorcerers of horrid and intelligible sonic devastation first emerged with their two song demo in 2015 released by Sentient Ruin and Sol Y Nieve on cassette, and by Iron Bonehead Productions on a 7” EP. The demo stirred up a great deal of hype with its insanely twisted and surreal songwriting, merciless execution, and appalling heaviness, giving the world the first unquestionable glimpse into the band’s implausible strength and horrific artistry. The debut full-length album NIHL dropped the following year through the same exact coalition of labels and with Doomentia Records issuing the CD, and essentially administered to people x10 of the destruction and mastery they had only fathomed of with the demo. NIHL received widespread critical acclaim and made many year end best of lists, leaving the entire underground gasping in awe and wonder at Altarage’s brute force and unmatched sonic vision, as the band was catapulted to forefront of extreme death metal and hailed as innovators of the genre. Without wasting any time or caring much for the hype or allure they were receiving, the nameless Spanish death masters stuck faithfully to their low profile and dedicated work ethic and within a year had already unleashed their sophomore album, released this time on world established metal label Season of Mist. With astonishing ease and unquestionable might, Endinghent crushed everyone right back into their seat showing the world once again what absurd power and visionary realms of mastery and genius Altarage were capable of harnessing. The album, again, received widespread acclaim and made many best of year end lists, with many critics denoting its incredibly visionary power and barely plausible heaviness. Fast forward to two years later and the band is already set to return, once again in partnership with Season of Mist and with Sentient Ruin working with them again as well on a tape version, with The Approaching Roar - by all means and measure, the most accomplished, visionary, and soul-crushing Altarage album to date.