Altar of Eden – The Grotto Screams II

It’s been five years since Austin, Texas residents Altar of Eden released their enchanting Chimeras album, and now they are back for more. The band have decided to dwell once again in The Grotto Screams, as they named their debut album, with its second part released back in February. This gothic entity excels at vampiric, cave-like, and primal death rock/post-punk, with fuzzy guitar tones echoing alongside dusty synths into the depths of working-class hell.

The Grotto Screams II consists of ten tracks, with a total duration of 46 minutes. Each listening session sounds like a batcave party, with the band staying loyal to the power of the drumbeat until the very end. Songs like “The Erasure” use cutting guitar leads to sculpt an artistic statement. Although Altar of Eden feel like a textbook band of the subgenre, they evoke an otherworldly dedication that is probably unmatched.

A large part of the aural mist rising through these songs comes from the lo-fi production. The Grotto Screams II feels like it crawls out of sunless dungeons, with only the basslines providing any glimpse of hope. The cryptic lyrics, somewhere between dark mysticism and social allegory, come alive through vocals that recall Christian Death and UK Decay, while the rhythm section echoes memories of early Belgrado. “The Abandonment II” challenges the listener to a nihilist dance of death, while “Days & Nights” feels capable of finding its place on any well-informed doomer/goth playlist.

The thing with Altar of Eden, though, is that while most of their tracks pass the four-minute mark, they never overstay their welcome. One of the most interesting things about The Grotto Screams II is the allure of what lies beneath the surface of its songs. Altar of Eden sound as focused as ever, and even when they decide to get slightly more complicated on “Eternal,” they manage to build a melancholic bridge toward an eerie finale. Then they carry that energy into the following “Vicious Circle,” which, despite its drum pattern, is still able to hold tension.

Altar of Eden have released one of the most enchanting death rock albums I’ve heard in a while. Their discography measures up as one of the best in the whole underground, unfiltered gothic rock realm, and their decision not to over-polish their sound, while keeping the rawer hardcore aspects of the guitars prominent in the mix, ends up being a rewarding one. The Grotto Screams II delivers more than it ever promised, and I am sure that once you get to know it, you will never let it go.