Review: Malignant Altar - Realms of Exquisite Morbidity

Album Title
Realms of Exquisite Morbidity
Released On
Dark Descent Records
Date
12/10/2021

In 2019, Malignant Altar burst onto the scene with 2 very powerful demos. We got a total of 3 songs that instantly had us wanting more. They were monolithic slabs of doom drenched death metal with old school feels while not treading water in each area for too long and not sounding like a blatant regurgitation of the past for merely the sake of the past. The hype was real, and we would have to wait almost 3 years for it.

Simply put, Realms of Exquisite Morbidity was worth the wait. They pick up right where the demos left off and improve upon it. There’s Morbid Angel creeping through this doom-laden filth with nods to Cianide and more. Self-described as low tuned death, they stay true to the words. This this is murky and heavy as hell. Bolt Thrower gets their respect on many a riff as well. While I can hear definite influence, none are really blatant to the point of relying on other band’s sounds. M.A. are creating a sound their own while also keeping it within the realm of old school death metal.

The band boasts a solid line up with current/ex-members of Insect Warfare, Church of Disgust, Oceans of Slumber, and more. None of those bands could be described as a direct match on Malignant Altar. While riffing is very impressive here, I think most impressive is the drumming of Dobber Beverly. The guy is playing like a madman on here without it sounding over produced, sterile, and fake. Just a beastly performance.

Releasing on the modern legend that is Dark Descent Records, they have once again given the death metal world a classic release and proving they’re a name you can trust when you see their releases. Clocking in at 6 songs, 34 minutes, my lone complaint of this album is that they yet again leave me wanting more. I guess that’s a good thing rather than listeners becoming bored and not finishing the album. That wasn’t the case here as I immediately restarted it once it finished. So, raise those caveman fists and bang your head while you worship at the band’s malignant altar.

Rick
Gotten Out By
Rick

Rick has been writing off and on for a couple sites for years now. He is glad to give his opinion of music via Getting It Out. Born and raised in Lancaster, PA, he is not Amish, he is still vegan and still straight edge. He is a loving father and husband. Rick also used to play guitar and growl like an idiot in death metal band Defleshuary.

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