The roiling, sopping mulch at the surface and the layers of heated biodegradation below begin to burst into form as sickness and death permeate the landscape, creating unthinkable horrors from natural wonders. — Thrilling themselves off the ammoniated fumes of a stalled civilization amok and huffing deep of the rotting human landfills forming at the peak of societal decay Portland, Oregon-based black/death-thrashing quartet Thirsting Altar embrace the grey-reactive stew gurgling in their midst as massive death’s horrifying equalizer allows a plagued golem, an avatar of graven renewal to cast a shadow over the future of mankind. ‘Reclamation‘ is a proper mLP-sized event as a four song showcase of the band’s constitution post-pandemic per a conceptual undertaking writ during said period of isolation wherein cutting riffs, smoke-filled rooms and muddy visions generate a freshly feral entity.

Formed as a duo circa 2019 between drummer Kevin Doane and guitarist, vocalist and bassist Joel Henigson Thirsting Altar was initially their non-specific exploration of black/thrash metal muse. Though they have since become a quartet per the addition of members of Greenseeker and formerly of Vela Pulsar the bands first channeling carried through as an EP (‘Ascension‘, 2021) recorded as a duo wherein the general shape of their work was lacking in profound charisma beyond thrashing force and despite some inventive percussive moments and strong focus on the riff. Production values were quite strong from the start and this has of course translated into a more refined, oftentimes more inventive statement for this second EP wherein much has changed yet the hand of Henigson‘s rhythms ensures the personality of the band is retained yet evolved quickly. Opener and main event “Tainted Sorcery” is the piece to convince not only for its ‘Absu‘-era Absu-esque bent in terms of composition (which kinda strays into ‘Symbolic‘ per the leads) but for the dual vocal performances lead by co-guitarist/vocalist Samantha Russell which allow for exponential theatric interest compared to the fairly straightforward attack of their prior release as well as a blackened death push behind their work. Strong lead guitars, demented group-sung verses, and a heady atmospheric break nearby the end set the bar high for interest within this most considered and atmospheric work and I’d say almost outshine the rest of the EP.

“Muck of Death” recalls late 90’s German or Norwegian black/thrash with its groove to start though we get equal parts death metal in its sprawl from that point, introducing a different tone per bassist Selina Cleary‘s performances which add a moldering plod to the piece. It is a fairly simple heavy metal-braced song but also the sort of rhythm which carries over into a live setting just as well, a commanding march which does well to follow up the opener with a more direct thought which tastefully blurs their own sub-genre lines; The dynamic presented on the first two songs on this record is more-or-less repeated in its second half with the rousing and detailed twists of “Metamorphosis” rallying together a dense set of ideas with ease and “Sadistic” tunneling through a simpler thrashing groove. While the opener provides the lasting thought here if I were to considering this as a 10″ or a one-sided 12″ it feels like they’ve carried the thought through and taken their work down a path which holds that momentum strong enough for the full listen.

For a second work with a doubled line-up it certainly feels like Thirsting Altar are more than ready to begin chipping away at a first major statement, “album readied” in the sense that their art direction (the new logo is ace and the Matt Stikker illustration is rad), production values, and songcraft have all been elevated to an absolutely worthy standard. I think the challenge going forward will be living up to the quality and the blurred lines of songs like “Tainted Sorcery” within every piece, this is where the personality of their fusion really shines and I’d felt like anything less than that standard threatens to read as something fairly commonplace. Too many layers of vocals isn’t such an issue with this style, or, it doesn’t hurt these songs but I think a more direct spectacle from the lead vocal presence could help sear the bigger moments into mind faster. I’d found myself energized by the full listen, appreciative of the thrashing energy and impact of myriad ideas humming along in well-ordered attacks as ‘Reclamation‘ always felt like it had somewhere to go, a clear directive and this’d lent itself well to repeat listening. A high recommendation.

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