Review Summary: From the spring eternal, rise.
Band Lineup:
Terry Jones- Vocals
Alan Jones- Guitars
Dean Alexander- Drums
William Gallagher- Bass
Strideth we shall to the grassy highlands, looking to the horizon for our dreams. Come with me, the call of the mythical hero awaits.
Pagan Altar built their own mythical status as potential rightful heirs to the Black Sabbath throne in the early 80’s with Volume I, but the band had almost no output after that excellent release. The band’s debut veiled them in a shroud of cloaked mystery, a mystery they branch into all sorts of enchanting directions on 2006’s Mythical and Magical. The band makes no secret concerning their understanding of the Path, laying a foundation with Sabbath inspired doom metal and punctuating it with a NWOBHM styled attack. This basic structure is concentrated around the beautifully assembled and fluently expressed guitar phrasings of Alan Jones, a player who has no compunctions about blending technical fury with methodical blasts of melodic accentuation. There is a decidedly medieval and gothic atmosphere surrounding this album lyrically and musically, giving it the real feel of a concept record. The band plays with a style that fits perfectly with this narrative and Alan Jones’ arrangements are professional in design and robust in execution, the perfect companion to an odyssey of mythical proportions.
The highland quest begins with the mid-tempo canter of “Samhein,” a straight forward riff-fest that is a concrete introduction to the lead guitar dynamics of Alan Jones and provides the perfect prologue to our journey into the lands of the Dark Lord. “Cry of the Banshee” introduces the band at an Iron Maiden class of tempo and is a better format for Jones’ guitar pyrotechnics, his melodic phrasing effortlessly shifting between classic metal techniques and stirring passages of considerable harmonious sincerity. If David Gilmour was a metal guitarist, he’d be Alan Jones. His soloing tone is remarkably clean and professional and his riffs are bright and punchy.
The band shows a remarkable capacity for creating acoustic driven atmosphere amongst all the crunchy riffage, “The Crowman” having a decidedly tentative feel before Jones tears it apart with some tasty soloing. “The Sorcerer” is the most restrained of these, its soft guitar picking, backing female vocals, and slow burning crescendos finally exploding into a triumphant open solo by Jones. Pagan Altar is a decidedly old school band thematically and structurally, their medieval lyrical motifs merging wonderfully with the esoteric character of Jones’ lead guitar sensibilities, giving the album a real sense of coherent arrangement and precision. Here you will find a host of literary figures and mythic delights to accompany you to the World’s End, Alan Jones providing the heroic counterpoint to the shadowy figures that lurk in the enchanted forest.
“Dance of the Druids” and “The Erl King” are the mega suites of the album’s middle third with their long lengths and multi-layered sections. Jones is always at the forefront with a gentle acoustic melody, crunchy riff, or melodic refrain. “Dance of the Druids” distinguishes itself with its prodigious outro solos and “The Erl King” shows marvelous restraint with synthesizers being brought in for contrasting effect to Jones’ emotive guitar playing. As this sonic tapestry continues to unfurl, the hero questions his resolve in the face of impending doom, the answers seeming distant as the final clash with the Dark Lord awaits over the horizon.
The band saves a truly awesome trio to close the album. “The Witches Pathway” is driven by rumbling bass and a crunchy riff from Jones before unleashing into an all-out solo extravaganza with about a minute to go. Jones is an expert at creating a sonic alchemy of sounds to contrast Terry Jones’ nasally vocal declarations, often answering them in short bursts of molten ferocity without sacrifice of his trademark melodic character. “Sharnie” is a simply lovely little number, Jones easing up on the volume to deliver some of his most striking folk inspired playing and giving pause before the final ascent of the album’s pilgrimage through mythical lands. This brief interlude gives pause to the hero before the truly grand “The Rise of the Dark Lord,” a track that winds and turns through a sonic architecture of furious riffs, tempo changes, and explosive soloing. This nearly nine minute excursion is simply incendiary with its mammoth riffs and epic solos intertwining into a coherent framework, all the while depicting the mythological quest of man to embrace the fabled role of the hero facing spiritual annihilation. The album closes with a spiral of solos and refrains from Jones, the listener absorbing an exultant flash of intuition as they reconcile their own adventure with the root metaphors of human mythology.
Mythical and Magical will be a forgotten record in the long run, but it is a hidden amulet for those lucky enough to discover its ancient powers. Inside this Pandora’s Box of classic metal delights, the listener will be transported to a land of mysticism and folklore where the Ways of the ancients once prospered and reigned over Man’s dreams. In the process, you will begin a pursuit into the heart of your own personalized myths, ushering in a new era of spiritual enlightenment and heroic salvation in the face of internal decay. Through this progression of narrative riffs and medieval imagery, Pagan Altar plays the role of heavenly aid that awaits the hero on his quest, providing direction and clarity as you solemnly strideth to engage the Dark Lord in a battle for heart, mind, and spirit.
