What’s there to say about Blasphemy that hasn’t been said a million times over?
Did the Canadian black metal quartet know that they were laying down tracks that would be endlessly obsessed over by generations of curious metalheads who had reached one of the most scowling, withered and – at times – genuinely frightening corners of the genre? Or that their meager output would become the mold by which every subsequent bestial black metal band would, in part, be both constructed with and measured against?
Blasphemy is still going just as strong, and perhaps stronger even, than they were more than 30 years ago when they released their last studio album. The strength of their songs and their legendary status means the band can survive and thrive on live shows and guest appearances. It’s hard to think of another band that’s done so well for themselves while putting out so little original music.
But it’s also not so hard to understand why that is after listening to ‘Blood Upon the Altar.’ The 21-minute EP is a pummeling, blistering and relentless expedition to Hell. It marks both the ruthless endpoint for first wave black metal and the beginning of a parallel evolution for war metal, growing in alongside the second wave. An ending, a beginning, and a departure all wrapped into one release.
While all of the songs on this EP would find homes on Blasphemy’s following two full-length albums, the versions found here are ferocious, honed-in and well produced. The riffs perfectly balance black, death and grind with thrashy solos thrown in for good measure. The vocal snarls and growls are a spot-on fit for the music and the drums are pulverizing.
This EP, for me, is the perfect Blasphemy release and a perfect black metal release. If you ask me, it deserves to be listened to and listed alongside other classics of the genre like Bathory’s ‘Blood Fire Death,’ Mayhem’s ‘De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas’ or Dissection’s ‘Storm of the Light’s Bane.’ Now go give this (another) listen.
OÜGH!
