Altar of Plagues — Teethed Glory and Injury

Ireland’s Altar of Plagues burst onto the post-black metal scene a couple of years ago with ‘White Tomb’, an album which got pretty solid reviews thanks to its convincing mixture of, er, black metal and post-rock, and somehow seemed to confirm that it was finally ok building one’s own musical mythology, however far removed, upon the original norsecore canvas. Its 2011 successor ‘Mammal’, though, didn’t quite fulfil all of the expectations shoved – unjustly perhaps – onto the band. So, is new opus ‘Teethed Glory and Injury’, released this year on Canada’s Profound Lore(and Candlelight in Europe) , a case of third time lucky for what many view as the Green Isle’s answer to Wolves in the Throne’s Room?

Truth be told, the contorting ballet dancer (yep, you read that right...) adorning the cover didn’t exactly have me jump in anticipation and I feared the Cork trio might just have pushed the artsy envelope further than is really healthy. For a while, my worries seemed unfounded as the instrumental intro which kick-starts the album unfolded with a particularly efficient cocktail of dark electronica and doom-laden suicidal black metal. It seemed invested of exactly the kind of tightrope-walking anxiety that got the band onto people’s radar in the first place.

As for the rest of the material on offer though, well, that might just be a different story... it seems James Kelly & co have gone for all-out re-invention on this one and the least one can say is it should surprise fans of their previous output more than they might actually have liked. As with most bands officiating in the murky world of what has been dubbed post-black metal for lack of a better term, the material may sound threateningly incoherent to the unaware listener, with dissonant breaks suddenly interrupting a particularly vicious slab of old-school black metal, unnervingly melodic-sounding choruses party-crashing a blast beast fest or bands going all dark ambient the moment they finally seem to have a momentum going.

I wouldn’t be honest if I pretended those thoughts never crossed my mind once on any of the nine tracks that compose the album. Most of it probably has to do with the fact that black metal being such a visceral genre of music, it seems difficult to imagine in the context of such a cerebral exercise in style as that proposed by mainman James Kelly (guitars, keyboards, vocals), Dave Condon (bass, vocals) and Johnny King (drums) on this album.

It’s a good thing, then, that the arrangements on ‘Teethed Glory and Injury’ manage to overcome this state of affairs on most occasions and still render it a worthwhile experience for the uneducated listener (you’ll still need an open mind, though) and may even encourage them to dig deeper into the band’s back catalogue. In truth, if you like anything from Xasthur, Swans or Enslaved to, say, Blut aus Nord or, yep, The Gathering, there’s a fair chance you’ll find something here to catch your fancy at some point. Unfortunately, despite these solid references and the variety of genres they entail, it won’t necessarily mean you’ll like them all played at once. Which, I am guessing, is what most people who have heard the band’s previous offerings will have some trouble digesting.

At the end of the day, if I am to be brutally honest, this third opus did not really do much for me and there is little doubt it will polarise opinions amongst fans. Which is not a bad thing per se, of course, and if anything, kudos to the band for taking chances. But despite the visibility of bands like WITTR or Menace Ruine, there’s little hope that ‘Teethed Glory and Injury’ will manage to shake off the somewhat unappealing impression that post-black metal has somehow become the new mathcore.