Review by Alex on November 5, 2018.

Old school death metal produced with a claustrophobic sound; a touch of doom, a very slight tease of Vastum's Patricidal Lust (riff-wise) and a severe lynching of vocals bellowed from the guts of hell. Altar of Decay is a no-nonsense release; from the artwork that yells "What in the unholy cunt of Mary!", to the deep atmosphere and clutching nostalgic element of an era so beloved; prepare to be dropped and dragged face first onto the cold smoggy concrete of early 90's death metal.

The snare drum has a very raw black metal sound to it. There is a distinguishable sloppy sound the drums create especially on the track "Blood Chasm". This brings back that feeling of death metal in its most primitive and savage years; that period being 1990-1993 with releases like Disembowel's (Netherlands) "A Matter of Splatter" 1991 and Mindrot's self-titled demo 1990. The drumming is a strong example of what simplicity can produce once executed with the dedication to and knowledge of the craft.

The doomy sections are some of the most unnerving you will ever hear. They can easily pass as samples for Bela Lugosi's Dracula or Camillo Mastrocinque's Crypt of the Vampire. An example of this can be heard in the opening of the track "Vitiated Mortality". The guitar is played slowly thus placing an apprehensive feeling in the listener. Chase's guitars help in the conjuring some of the most unsettling images you would preferably see only in a state of unconsciousness.

The shared vocals by both Alex Mody (drums) and Max Bowman (guitars) are fairly deep and have a very doomy edge to them. What I appreciate the most is that they don't bombard the music being played, meaning; vocal passages aren't being sung throughout the length of any particular track. They give the rest of the music a chance to immerse the listener in its soggy garden of bodily fluids and decomposing limbs.

That sample of revolting laughter on Blood Charm at the 2:49 mark, competes for the title of most sincerely sinister laugh ever. The number 1 spot for most sincerely sinister laughter is currently held by Incantation with "Desecration (Of the Heavenly Graceful)" at the 4:25 mark.

Altar of Decay is a product of much dedication, skill, and might. A simple yet profound particle of death metal that wishes to remain loyal to the days of old. It pays homage to the foundation in which so many other forms of death metal have sprouted from; that being brutal death metal, grindcore, slam, etc. Mortiferum has generated much buzz in the underground death metal scene with their debut offering, Altar of Decay. I foresee great things on the horizon for Mortiferum should they continue to release such stellar and well thought out compositions.

Rating: 9.4 out of 10

Review by Alex on November 5, 2018.

Old school death metal produced with a claustrophobic sound; a touch of doom, a very slight tease of Vastum's Patricidal Lust (riff-wise) and a severe lynching of vocals bellowed from the guts of hell. Altar of Decay is a no-nonsense release; from the artwork that yells "What in the unholy cunt of Mary!", to the deep atmosphere and clutching nostalgic element of an era so beloved; prepare to be dropped and dragged face first onto the cold smoggy concrete of early 90's death metal.

The snare drum has a very raw black metal sound to it. There is a distinguishable sloppy sound the drums create especially on the track "Blood Chasm". This brings back that feeling of death metal in its most primitive and savage years; that period being 1990-1993 with releases like Disembowel's (Netherlands) "A Matter of Splatter" 1991 and Mindrot's self-titled demo 1990. The drumming is a strong example of what simplicity can produce once executed with the dedication to and knowledge of the craft.

The doomy sections are some of the most unnerving you will ever hear. They can easily pass as samples for Bela Lugosi's Dracula or Camillo Mastrocinque's Crypt of the Vampire. An example of this can be heard in the opening of the track "Vitiated Mortality". The guitar is played slowly thus placing an apprehensive feeling in the listener. Chase's guitars help in the conjuring some of the most unsettling images you would preferably see only in a state of unconsciousness.

The shared vocals by both Alex Mody (drums) and Max Bowman (guitars) are fairly deep and have a very doomy edge to them. What I appreciate the most is that they don't bombard the music being played, meaning; vocal passages aren't being sung throughout the length of any particular track. They give the rest of the music a chance to immerse the listener in its soggy garden of bodily fluids and decomposing limbs.

That sample of revolting laughter on Blood Charm at the 2:49 mark, competes for the title of most sincerely sinister laugh ever. The number 1 spot for most sincerely sinister laughter is currently held by Incantation with "Desecration (Of the Heavenly Graceful)" at the 4:25 mark.

Altar of Decay is a product of much dedication, skill, and might. A simple yet profound particle of death metal that wishes to remain loyal to the days of old. It pays homage to the foundation in which so many other forms of death metal have sprouted from; that being brutal death metal, grindcore, slam, etc. Mortiferum has generated much buzz in the underground death metal scene with their debut offering, Altar of Decay. I foresee great things on the horizon for Mortiferum should they continue to release such stellar and well thought out compositions.

Rating: 9.4 out of 10

Review by Joshua on November 16, 2004.

Therion are known for atmospheric innovation. One would assume their new album would dazzle listeners with inventive compositions, orchestrated interludes and harmonized choral arrangements, right?

Wrong.

My first reaction to this disc was, "What just happened here? I put in Therion, but I'm hearing 1995 Iced Earth. This is track three from Burnt Offerings." The structures, riffs and distortion are identical. Christofer Johnsson sounds just like Iced Earth's then-singer, Matthew Barlow. Therion's only distinguishing feature was a choir that appeared one minute into the song.

This is not what you'd expect from the band. It's progressive/power metal with some gothic and orchestral influences. Apparently, Therion spent the last three years listening to Iced Earth, Savatage, Helloween and Anacrusis. In fact, some parts even sound like old Rhapsody songs with testosterone.

The orchestral accompaniment is minimal and mixed so far into the background it sounds like a keyboard. The sound is more an appropriate sequel to Lepaca Kliffoth, rather than the ethereal goth-metal we heard on Secret of the Runes. However, parts of the record show remarkable improvement because Therion rediscovered how to play guitar. Then again, other parts sound like concepts rejected by renaissance fairs. Herein lies this album's greatest defect – double-album or not, both CDs are poorly arranged and definitely not cohesive. On Lemuria, the worse of the two, skipping forward a track is like switching to another band. However, the first five songs on Sirius-B are marvelous power/progressive tracks. "Uthark Runa," "An Arrow from the Sun," and "Typhon" are standout songs. In fact, the death metal elements on "Typhon" are almost enough to please those fans that continuously pester Therion to make another death metal record. Sadly, it's only one song!

On the other hand, some songs really suck. The worst tracks are clearly on Lemuria. It might as well be a B-side collection. "Feuer Overture" is stale German synthpop warmed over and "Kali Yuga Part 2" literally sounds like it was recorded underwater. I have no eloquent descriptor for songs that give me diarrhea. These are all atmospheric, acoustic ballads showcasing Christofer Johnsson's "profound" vocal skills.

What vocal skills? He sounds like he's singing through his nose! Whitesnake could have written these songs about their girlfriends, and that sound should have died in 1981.

Naturally, such a diverse collection of songs makes it difficult to rate this album, so I arbitrarily adopt the following system: Therion win no points for originality, as most of the concepts here were developed by earlier bands. On the other hand, Therion deserve praise for impeccable musicianship. Overall, they lose points for lacking coherency, which is this double-CD's greatest flaw.

Categorical Rating Breakdown

Musicianship: 8
Atmosphere: 6
Production: 6
Originality: 4
Overall: 7

Rating: 6.2 out of 10