This is the second EP from US black metallers Thirsting Altar.
Following up on 2020’s debut release Ascension, and back with a new, expanded lineup, we have Thirsting Altar with their latest 21-minute EP Reclamation.
Reclamation features four songs that combine black, death, and thrash metal influences into a convincing blackened whole. It’s a change in style to Ascension, especially when you consider the overall hybrid sound and the change in aesthetics.
As a rough starting point, think of Reclamation as a blackened blend of parts of Morbid Angel, Death, Municipal Waste, and Enslaved. For these references think of their early days, although Reclamation does have a more contemporary feel to it, despite this.
The plague-ridden songs are aggressive and well-recorded. The dual vocal approach works well for Thirsting Altar, and the music backs this up ably. The songwriting is considered and the band’s ideas developed nicely across the material. The music takes ideas from each of its parent genres and turns these into songs that show a professional application and execution. It’s brutal and harsh, but also easy on the ear if you’re acclimatised to extreme metal.
Thirsting Altar’s latest EP is a solid step in the band’s development. I look forward to seeing where they go in the future. For now though, get stuck into their slithering heavy riffs and grim blackened heaviness.
Wonderbox Metal 