IN ROTATION: Our most played albums in APRIL 2019

Mö’s Spiritual Healing!

Tune in to Blessed AltarZine at the beginning of each month for my “Sinday Sermon” from the Pulpit of Deception… Where I’ll reveal my Most Played Albums for the previous month! May be a brand new release I haven’t reviewed, an absolute Classic or perhaps that obscure record that hasn’t hit your turntable in ages…

2019 has already proven to be another stellar year for high quality releases from all spectrums of the metal universe, and to date my challenge has been finding enough time to honestly keep up? Saying that here were the two albums that spent the most time in between my ears last month.

PARADISE LOST – “Gothic”
Peaceville Records – VILE26L, Released: March 19, 1991

*In PARADISE LOST and specifically “Gothic” we find perhaps the essential trailblazing effort in establishing classic Doom/Death Metal. Although I listen to several tracks from “Gothic” often; Dead Emotion, Rapture and the fantastic title track, I haven’t really spent much time in quite awhile on the album in its entirety. But our good friend @icrawford17 (Lain Crawford) recently posted the polling question as to what is the very best PARADISE LOST song, which in itself is a herculean task? And all roads led me back to “Gothic” where it all started for me, wedged between “Draconian Times” and anything that My Dying Bride or Anathema could release in the early to mid nineties with Katatonia not far behind.

As far as the album goes side one is in a league of its own with its incredibly emotive guitar sounds from the magnificent Gregor Mackintosh and the splendor of Nick Holmes on vocals. Crushing riffs, memorable leads, unique use of additional vocals and musical styles to deliver “Gothic” which is the essential release from the catalogue and quite possibly the most pure and influential release of the early 90’s? If I were reviewing the album it would easily receive a 10/10 for its innovative, dark, eerie and unique atmospheric compositions and guitar work throughout. Masterful indeed…

Favorite Track: Dead Emotion

WORMTICH – “Heaven That Dwells Within”
Prosthetic Records, Released: April 5, 2019

*The follow-up to the mostly impressive “Strike Mortal Soil” finds WORMWITCH taking a major leap forward with it’s bruising brand of Canadian Black Metal. The album littered with hints of crust, death and thrash woven into the blackness; spiting out tracks like opener Disciple of the Serpent Star, Vernal Womb, Two Wolves, Dancing In The Ashes and Iron Woman. The albums strength is in its songwriting and immense blackened death metal riffage throughout. In fact the musicianship and execution from beginning to end are both essential and pivotal to the albums overall success. Everyone having key contributions on “Heaven That Dwells Within” which is an album that once you get drawn into will keep pulling you under for more and more. The fact that it hasn’t really left my daily playlists since first hearing a track or two early on speaks volumes. Highly recommended…

Favorite Track: Two Wolves