Norwegian somber sound exhibitionists ALTAAR will unleash their new self-titled offering of sonic enormity tomorrow, February 26, 2013 in Europe via their new label home, Indie Recordings. Offering up two songs in 35 morose minutes, Altaar was recorded at Taakeheimen Studio with Morten Øby, mixed by Espen T. Hangård at Dogskool Studio and mastered by Tom Kvålsvoll at Strype Audio. Describes Cvlt Nation: “So it begins, with a slow melodic movement with a majestic sorrow rising from the sparse instrumentation. The repetitive flow builds momentum and invites the listener further into the layers of harmonics, and the drums wisely hover in the background to delicately punctuate the song without making too much out of it….one of the strongest releases this year in this genre.”
In celebration of its release, the gate keepers at Invisible Oranges are streaming Altaar in its entirety at THIS LOCATION.
With the object of finding alternative routes or approaches to heavy metal, without veering away from its primitive foundations, ALTAAR began recording their self-titled debut album in 2011, at Taakeheimen Lydrike Studio.
2012. One year on. ALTAAR finally finished two new movements in the form of “Tidi Kjem Aldri Att” and “Dei Absolutte Krav Og Den Absolute Nåde.” The songs make up each their respective side of an LP attacking conventional doom metal (Corrupted, Black Sabbath, Nortt) with references stemming from the classic psychedelic era (Les Fleur De Lys, Captain Beefheart, Pink Floyd).
The journey began back in 2007. After the dissolution of JR Ewing, Andreas Tylden (One Tail, One Head) established the solo-project ALTAAR. In the shadows of Vår Frelsers graveyard in Oslo, the cassette Dødsønske was recorded. The result was a brooding mixture of black metal, doom, noise, ambient and drone. “I had the need to create music with a broad emotional register,” explains Tylden, “to break from the conventions of earlier methods I used to employ.”
With the freedom of this avant-garde approach to the musical expression, the foundations were laid for the project to evolve. A short time later, art-academy graduate and noise-musician Sten Ove Toft (Ryfylke, Faux Pas) was initiated into the project and the second pressing of Dødsønske was released on Toft’s label Roggbif. Both pressings sold out in a matter of days. “A Chilean reserved one of the cassettes for two months until he had saved up enough money to buy it. That’s dedication!” remembers Toft.
2009 saw the band once again adding new members to the fold in the shape of Espen T. Hangård (KILLL, NoPlaceToHide), Kenneth Lamond (JR Ewing) and Didrik Telle (Obliteration). In the proceeding months the quintet toured the US and Europe, performed a commissioned piece at the Henie Onstad Art Museum as well as showcasing their music at respected festivals such as SXSW, Øya, Incubate and by:Larm. Due to the band’s backgrounds in metal, punk/hardcore, noise and indie, ALTAAR’s live shows became an almost ritualistic experience. With concerts played either in perpetual darkness, stages bathed in candlelight or illuminated by projections of hand-picked films, the results drew the audience in to a place where they had to acquiesce, or react. Something that made the music all the more poignant and central.
Altaar Track Listing:
1. Tidi Kjem Aldri Att (19:58)
2. Dei Absolutte Krav Og Den Absolutte Nåde (14:13)
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