“Black filth from the hearts of scumbags” states the Facebook page of Californian quintet Barren Altar, and some of the band’s previous song titles seem to bear that out with considerable strength. Each band member is identified by just one initial, but debut album Entrenched in the Faults of the Earth (Self-released) eventually creates a strong enough identity of its own.

There’s a mournful beginning to opening track ‘Nexus of Grief’ but an explosion is not far away, a Blackened onslaught accompanied by R’s throat which can rasp and squeal enough to make you cough. The maudlin centrepiece is graced by some wonderful guitar, while R’s vocal sounds paradoxically more suited to these slower passages. There are a number of such switches in tempo and unfortunately, it gives the track something of a disjointed feel.

Brief follower ‘Submerged’ is a gorgeous yet edgy creep through moonlit fields which leads delicately into the ensuing ‘Call of the Waves’, and for a short while the listener really is sitting next to a deserted shore at midnight. The maintaining of leadplay throughout the song’s darkened soul, however, brings a more organic flow: those crawling, obsidian sections as welcome as the melancholic melody. The crushing rhythm section is powerful and vital here, perfectly dictating the pace of this colossal, moving piece.

‘The Great Awakening of Death’, whilst not possessing the charm of its predecessor, continues to show the band’s ability to vary its sound whilst still indulging Doom sensibilities. R’s deep scours marry ideally with some piercing leadwork, the star of the middle section and arguably the album as a whole. Closer ‘Delirium Vivens’, meanwhile, is a piece of genius: slow, sinister drums thudding to an expansive, bone-shuddering riff while the pace remains pensive, urgent, straining at the leash to break free. The release finally happens with the force of a thousand horses, ending this initially wayward album in spectacular, blistering fashion.

Each listen opens up more nuances and in time this could become a corker. In the meantime, relish largely auspicious start and dream of what wondrous misery such talent can bring.

7.0/10.0

PAUL QUINN