CD review LORD DYING "Poisoned altars"

(8/10) Portland, Oregon is the headquater of Lord Dying. The quartet released their debut in 2013 and now, two years later, they publish their second record called "Poisoned altars". The new longplayer was recorded with Joel Grind from Toxic Holocaust at Audio Siege Studios and contains eight songs.

The album sounds really heavy. The opener is already a killer with the roaring riff and real brutalitly in the music. What leads to excitement too is the merciless beat that pushes the song forward. This is real headbanger stuff. "The clearing at the end of the path" starts with a pounding guitar riff and develops towards a slow creepying doom monster. "An open sore" follows the moderate speed based "A wound outsude of time". After a few three minutes songs "An open sore" is with six minutes one of the longer ones on the album. Build on an hypnotic guitar riff the song sounds like an endless stream of lava that you can't escape from. You can feel the heat by listening to the track.

Things get a bit faster again with "Offering pain (and an open minded center)" and "Suckling at the teat of a she-beast". The last mentioned one comes with an immense riff and a raging rhythm that reminded me to Slipknot.

Time for the next longer song. It is called "(All hopes of a new day)...Extinguished". The groove in this song is fascinating and draws you in. For me, together with the title track, one of the highlights on the album.

"Darkness remains" became the longest song on the album and also got the role of the bouncer on the album. It's a song that, based on a baleful guitarline and distressed vocals that transport pure desparation and anger. The track is maybe one minute too long, but it is the right one to end a pretty cool album.

Sludge might not be my favorite metal category, but what I heard on "Poisoned altars" convinced me. If you want to start the new year with some brutal sounds - here is your soundtrack.

(8/10)

Tracklist:

1. Poisoned altars
2. The clearing at the end of the path
3. A wound outside of time
4. An open sore
5. Offering pain (and an open minded center)
6. Suckling at the teat of a she-beast
7. (All hopes of a new day)...Extinguished
8. Darkness remains

Label: Relapse Records

Genre: Sludge / Doom Metal