By Monk
The fact that Pagan Altar is one of the lesser known names from the NWoBHM era can most likely be attributed to the fact that they were one of the few, if not the only, band pursuing a darkier, doomier musical path than the majority of their spandex clad, double guitar wielding contemporaries. However, while they released only one album during their initial foray into the limelight, their combination of heavy doom, psychedelic prog and English folk music left a lasting legacy on the scene, arguably influencing the direction of successors such as Paradise Lost, Skyclad and Winterfylleth.
Although all of the songs on these two albums were initially written during the band’s formative years of 1976 through 1983, the process of commiting them to posterity did not begin until more than two decades later, when the father and son partnership of Terry and Alan Jones decided to delve back into their archive and resurrect what material they had not recorded, for whatever reasons, first time around. Now they see the light of day once again thanks to the commitment of the wonderful people at DVP – a label despite a name which suggests a passion for the more extreme end of the metal spectrum actually displays the same in resurrecting long-lost gems from the oft long forgotten pages of metal’s storied lore.
The first of this duotych, ‘Lords Of Hypocrisy’, explored the sort of heavy psych/progressive folk mien that will be familiar to fans of the likes of Jethro Tull (especially in terms of Jones senior’s vocal delivery) and more so Byron-era Uriah Heep, with heavy nods to late-Seventies Sabbath (Jones also does an uncanny Ozzy imitation on ‘The Aftermath’), the heavier aspects of Hawkwind and the folk-infused elements of Camel and Caravan, all poured into a alchemical cauldron that distilled all of its heady ingredients into one delicious sonic fusion that still satisfies to this day.
Follow-up ‘Mythical & Magical’ was recorded and originally released two years after the band’s reunion and reflects more of the NWoBHM era in which the band initially operated, with opener ‘Samhein’ possessing one of those rolling riffs that Maiden have gone on to make their trademark, combined with the sense of subtle drama that DiamondHead did so well.
‘Cry Of The Banshee’ almost borders on thrash in its frenetic pace while echoing the Celtic-infused atmospherics of the likes of The Horslips, a thematic which is continued through the dense but vulnerable ‘The Crowman’ into ‘Daemoni Na Noiche’, which in places reminds me so much of Mama’s Boys’ ‘Runaway Dreams’, especially in the breakdowns and abrupted pre-solos, that it’s freakin’ scary…
‘The Sorceror’ initially sees PA returning to those Tull-esque roots so trodden on ‘Lords Of Hypocrisy’ before Alan Jones unleashes an absolutely sublime solo that dominates and defines the last third of the song, serving as a lead in to the frenetic ‘The Flight Of The Witch Queen’.
The crowning glory of this set, however, is the suitably majestic ‘The Erl King’, a haunting lament characterized by Jones senior’s febrile, fragile vocal, counterpointed (as on a few previous occasions on both albums) by a laconic, spectral female conjunction and complemented by the beautifully understated orchestration of the musical accompaniment: heart-plucked acoustic guitar, a subtle hint of harpsichord, a gliding closing solo all adding to the sublime aural experience.
Unfortunately vocalist Terry Jones no longer walks this mortal coil, but these two albums are a more than fitting tribute to the legacy he left behind.
- ‘Lords Of Hypocrisy‘ is out now.
- ‘Mythical & Magical‘ will be released on 27 February.
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