Suspended in time and ever dejected in their soulful yet wilting determination the wheels are a’grinding beneath Danish epic/doom metal quintet Altar of Oblivion‘s battalion in order to meet the accelerated pace of global apocalyptic ruin as the fiery peak of Death’s spell fumes destruction and paranoia around them. Stifled by change, spurned-on by change, and now taking stock of the glorious damage done beyond years of work and waiting ‘Burning Memories‘ is both a relic and a necessary point of passage as a nearly seven year-old recording that’d captured the former line-up of the band in the midst of their inspiring third full-length album. It is a final archival piece from their old font in crystalline capture of their peak within that configuration, a pillar in tribute and a pyre enduring.

Altar of Oblivion technically formed in the Aalborg area circa 2003 as Summoning Sickness, more of a blackened speed/heavy metal group that’d changed entirely by 2006 with the addition of distinct and world class vocalist Mik Mentor. The operatic vocalist’s expressive style naturally opened the doors to doom and guitarist/main songwriter Martin Mendelssohn Sparvath brought elements of speed metal and extreme metal into an otherwise rare and authentic form of epic heavy/doom metal, a style best likened to ‘Ancient Dreams‘-era Candlemass or the earlier riff-forward side of Solitude Aeternus and mid-to-late 90’s Solstice to start. Since I’d been thorough enough, perhaps too thorough, in review of ‘The Seven Spirits‘ (2019) as I dug through the history of the band that review will probably suffice well enough as background for where they’d gone with it. The short of it is that these folks have long been a standout as an entity and their third album was a serious peak for them circa 2019 which I believe was recorded back in 2016 and the songs from this mLP seem to be from those same sessions or at least songwriting and also appears to be the last pieces they will release which include former drummer, keyboardist and co-guitarist Lars Strøm. The most direct plug for this record is that it offers the same quality and style as their latest LP, an album which landed at #41 on by Best of 2019 list.

If you can wrap your head around the idea that we’re getting a 2019-recorded fourth LP from the band in 2024 alongside this release at the very least it feels like we are getting some manner of chronological relativity between releases, even if they are coming years beyond their completion. In this sense what you’ll find on this record will read as consistent within their canon. “Burning Memories” is fittingly what Altar of Oblivion left behind many years ago in some literal sense but also a document of what they cannot leave behind in terms of the high they were riding creatively at the time likely carrying into the future; The title track/opener continues the main thread of ‘The Seven Spirits‘ stylistically with some of the more aggressive, theatric yet thrashing riffcraft to be found in the band’s discography and this is fitting fire behind the eyes as the lyrics speak to dealing with hardship without delay, a sentiment which rings healthily as we find the band making up for lost time.

With parity of recording quality and tunefulness upheld throughout this release and no inkling of where the band have headed beyond 2017 it’d make sense to tentatively consider this release a finishing touch upon the first ten years of the band where we do get a good sense of their impact up ’til that point within the three main pieces here. Beyond the title track we find “Through the Night” which may or may not sound familiar if you’d followed the band from their beginnings as this piece has been completely polished and reworked from the band’s somewhat stumbling ‘The Shadow Era‘ demo circa 2007, now a haunting and heavier-than-thou doom metal dirge. Otherwise “Maniac Masquerade” takes us to one of my personal favorite paradigms of 80’s doom metal influence a bit of circa ’85 speed metal riffing next to melodious epic doom metal saunter, hence the ’90-’94 Solitude Aeternus comparisons, which has been a part of the band’s oeuvre which always recalled a darker upgrade to My Dying Bride‘s first steps entirely away from death metal, though this is less dark romanticist and instead almost power-metallic in its stance. Otherwise we get a couple of interstitial tracks which play with guitar synth and generate a bit of atmosphere here and there to fill a bit of space.

Manifested outside of time, set miles away from modern trendiness and stowed away for years ‘Burning Memories‘ cannot help but indirectly make the argument for Altar of Oblivion‘s work as timeless and inspired craft. Few bands carry a tune so gloriously in this realm while still making their own harder-edged, contemporary mark upon it. I cannot think of another epic doom metal band that’d ever managed a hook so infectious that I’d unconsciously brushed my teeth to the tune of it, so, there’s a first. As for any gripes with the release I’d say there is nothing substantial to pine over beyond “Radiation” not being entirely up to par or necessary next to the three main pieces. Otherwise we find these folks riding high on a now ancient wave, fostering some great enthusiasm for what comes next. A high recommendation.

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