Few things can compare to when an act does more than tap into the potential of darkness itself and actually embodies what it means to be of an evil sort. Metal has no shortage of creations that try to channel a sinister nature that stands out from the crowd in how it seeks to overwhelm and influence the listener in such a way that’s no less than diabolical. As is the case with any lofty goal, not everyone is able to measure up and deliver. It still requires tact and know-how in order to really channel a dark experience and make it enthralling to become lost within. Being one of the select few in the underground that has done it exceedingly well in the past, Upon the Altar only deepens their connection to the realms of Hell and beyond with their forthcoming EP.

While it’s already a bit of a no-brainer that the joining of black and death metal would offer the most sensical vessel for such an unholy aural assault upon the feeble human psyche, it’s not terribly often that we get a band that’s able to truly embody what it means to become one with an all-consuming void that seeks naught but the decimation of flesh and the disintegration of soul. It was just last year that Upon the Altar slithered forth with their second album, the fittingly named “Descendents of Evil”. With the six seething tracks of their impending EP, “Profanation’s Vapor”, that it can be argued that Upon the Altar has tapped into something much more foreboding and much darker. A writhing creation that torments the souls of all who come before its might, there isn’t so much as a shred of light that leaks through this performance as Upon the Altar brings forth a display of power that’s as entrancing as it is apocalyptic in its overwhelming power. Raw ferocity matched with a deep understanding of what it means to offer up black-death metal on a high level, virtually every given moment of “Profanation’s Vapor” is carefully crafted to make for the most barbaric and horrific outcome for everyone involved. We’re given a showcase of how wide and deadly the arsenal of Upon the Altar has become without even the briefest consideration to the notion of mercy. Across these twenty-three minutes – from its blistering rage to its moments where everything comes to a halt – as the very presence of “Profanation’s Vapor” is enough to peel the flesh from your bones and siphon the light of your soul. The paltry notion of good is little more than kindling before the blaze that this EP possesses, and it’s clear at every turn that Upon the Altar is a prime vessel for such madness.

We’ve seen numerous instances of fiery power and unbridled intensity time and time again as the underground propagates itself over the years, but only in rare instances are we given entities like Upon the Altar that are able to offer voracious experiences like this truly terrifying EP. Widespread in its power and undeniable in its execution, “Profanation’s Vapor” demands you fall to your knees in fear and reverence lest the sheer essence of the effort itself eviscerate your being and remove you from this pathetic plane of existence altogether.

“Profanation’s Vapor” releases on December 12th via Godz ov War Productions!

LISTEN to an advanced track from “Profanation’s Vapor” on Bandcamp here, or via YouTube below.

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