Rating: 9.2

Country: UK

Release Date: 2006

Record Label: Oracle

Track list:
1. Samhein
2. Cry Of The Banshee
3. The Crowman
4. Daemoni Na Hoiche (Demons Of The Night)
5. The Sorcerer
6. Flight Of The Witch Queen
7. Dance Of The Druids
8. The Erl King
9. The Witches Pathway
10. Sharnie
11. The Rising Of The Dark Lord

Band Website: Pagan Altar

Pagan Altar - Mythical & Magical

Vocals: Terry Jones
Guitars/Banjo: Alan Jones
Bass: Trevor Portch
Drums: Mark Elliot/Dean Alexander (Cry Of The Banshee, The Crowman)
Keyboards: Louise Walter
Additional Vocals: Valerie Watson, Rosanne Magee

Everything about Pagan Altar taunts, jibes and defies expectations- while similarly wizened, decrepit NWOBHM stalwarts dodder onwards, feebly clinging to distant glories, Pagan Altar have absolutely fulfilled promises made two and a half decades ago, affirming themselves as living musical marvels, stunning neophytes and longstanding fans alike. No senility here- in fact, this reviewer would contend that both Lords Of Hypocrisy and Mythical & Magical radiate a dynamism, vitality and vigor that eclipses even their original incarnations (the songs contained within being, of course, resuscitated demo numbers from the ‘80s). Furrowed as their brows are, this immortal doom metal institution continues to flaunt a spiritedness that is incommensurate with their advancing years, flaunting a sound that simultaneously champions a timeless sound and marches stridently into a halcyon future. It's records like this that attest to the irrepressible vivacity of real heavy metal.

In some respects, Mythical & Magical is an anomaly in the Pagan Altar canon, though when framed in context, it does not entirely disrupt the linearity of their development. The enveloping, progressive slant of “Armageddon” and the wistfulness of “Masquerade” have been harnessed and developed to startling effect, the band downplaying the lugubrious, ritualistic sprawl of Volume 1 for a sprightly, assertive “epic metal” sound that exudes the same commanding majesty as monoliths like Into Glory Ride, Mark Of The Beast, Metal, The Prophet, Legend, King Of The Dead, Dark Quarterer and the like. Your perspective on this development is probably contingent on how much you esteem mesmeric, esoteric epic metal- if you're the sort of pompous ponce that regards Ephel Duath and Borknagar as the logical conclusion of heavy metal, it's likely that you find anything to nourish your pretension. Of course, for those of you that feel that the spirit of heavy metal is a monadic, immanent cosmic force that can be invoked and siphoned by all its most devout adepts, this record will buttress your faith.

The psalms contained within affirm that Pagan Altar are absolutely capable of outdoing any youthful usurpers, an exotic introductory passage serves as an auspicious portent for what is to come- “The Cry Of The Banshee” blazes out the floodgates like a torrent of magma, pulsating, staccato rhythms propelling the track forwards. The momentum recedes momentarily as the band showcases one of the album's centerpieces, the enveloping, atmospheric classical-guitar-driven “Crowman”, juxtaposing a bucolic, Bacchanalian whimsy with a fiery denouement, peppered by Alan Jones' scintillating solos. It would seem that Alan satiates his lead jones with more frequency than ever before here- I would even suggest that there are more sublime lead spots here than on the first two records combined, and Alan's exquisitely soulful style provides an elegant, gratuitously rich accent to the band's already indulgent concoctions. More evidence for the jury- the BLISTERING first solo on “Flight Of The Witch Queen” and the breathtaking splendor of “The Erl King”. Elsewhere, “The Sorcerer” will likely catalyze much debate, a contemplative, delicately nuanced epic that, to my mind, truly arouses fond memories of Manilla Road's “Venusian Sea”- while aesthetic parallels are perhaps tentative, the profound emotional depth and gutwrenching conviction beg comparisons.

All this being said, though, some words must be spared to the flimsiness of some of the backing vocals, the presence of mawkish, outmoded keyboards and the somewhat questionable mix. It must be noted that the female vocals appear to be more prominent on this go-around, and, to be fair, while the chanteuses provide an adequate performance, at certain pitches they can sound thin and unconvincing. It doesn't entirely help that a hopelessly archaic-sounding synth announces itself in certain sections of the record, or that the production buries the kick-drum and hi-hat (completely drowned out when the guitars escalate) in lieu of the vocals and guitars. Pagan Altar have always adhered to an idiosyncratic, distinctive mix, but with the busier sound of this material, certain chinks in their sonic armor become rather visible.

Otherwise, this record is indubitably everything I could want- it's jarring that these songs hearken from the same period as the first two full-lengths, as they flaunt a VERY different dimension of Pagan Altar. Digesting the three albums collectively, the listener is given access to the dizzying breadth of Pagan Altar's powers- a band that is equally at home crafting bewitching, beguiling doom, evocative folk-rock and galloping, throbbing epic metal, without ever compromising their singularly unique artistic identity. Pagan Altar have etched and claimed a niche of their own, and we can all be thankful that Morpheus has not exerted his oppressive influence on these gentlemen. Heavy metal is forever young, rejoice!

August 12th, 2007