Year of release: 2018
Label: The Ajna Offensive
Rating: 8,8 / 10
The respected Italian band ALTAR OF PERVERSION does not suffer from excessive haste: 17 years (!) have passed since the release of its previous (debut) full-length. However, you can not name her lazy, despite the fact that during these years only one split and one EP was released. It turns out that for all this time the band was sculpting a colossal second full-length, the duration of which is - hold on tight - almost 114 minutes!!! In my memory, only one album that beats this record of duration is "The Pernicious Enigma" of ESOTERIC. However, such duration is quite OK for Funeral Doom Metal, but here we are dealing with orthodoxal Black Metal. However, it should be noted that ALTAR OF PERVERSION are also extremely leisurely. About 1,5 hours of material consists of very slow segments, impregnated with some morbid melancholy. Musicians carefully unfold all their ideas, paying attention to the smallest details. This also determines the giant duration of the album. It can not be said that it has a variety or multidimensionality. Not at all, even the vocals for all incomplete two hours remain the same - dead, cold, devoid of emotions. The music is quite simple, there are no background ambients and ten guitar lines. There are only two or three guitar lines, plus very important bass parts. The close intertwining of all instrumental parts - that's what makes you listen to "Intra Naos" really carefully. Those who are accustomed to listening to music only as something the background are risking to find themselves bored. Fuck them. Such albums are not created for Internet "worms" eager to devour new "coal", and not even for true fanatics. They live their own life. "Intra Naos" will forever swim as a black monolith in cosmic abyss, regardless of someone's attitude. Even if you firmly decide to imbue this album, do not expect to get pleasure. For a long time already I have not heard an album in which the spirit of Black Metal would have been so authentic.