UPON THE ALTAR’s debut album “Absid Ab Ordine Luminis” featured a violent mixture of Death and Black Metal that may be commonly known as “War Metal”. Personally I don’t like the tag, but it has been widespread in the last two decades or so to describe a certain subgenre in which bands such as BEHERIT, BLASPHEMY and ORDER FROM CHAOS are mentioned as pioneers or founders of the style. In their second album, “Descendants Of Evil”, released by the Polish label Godz Ov War Productions, UPON THE ALTAR features a more extreme and more focused version of their first album. There are plenty of blast beats and tremolo riffing associated with the subgenre, but the songs are more varied and dynamic. The slow heavy passages contrast with the fast paced parts and the overall atmosphere shifts from obscure to manical to evil and everything in between. The song’s structure has become more complex adding more interesting elements and shifting effectively between their influences. The mix is really aggressive. Every component practically rubbed against your face in a typical approach for their style of music. Now, it was surprising to hear an almost perfect blend between the barrage of distorted and thick guitars with deep yet clean bass tone. The contrast between both works really well with the natural quality of the drums. Performance wise, guitarist Bartosz Sendork and bassist / vocalist Wojciech Kiecka know exactly what to do to upscale the band’s sound. My only complaint here is the lead guitar work. I think it is just a tad forced, so to speak. Moving on, Marcin Borowiecki’s drum work is absolutely devastating, punching his way through incessant blast beats and double kicks yet adding space and dynamics when needed. Last but not least are Wojciech’s vocals. He combines hoarse and high pitched shrieks with an “evil whisper” that I am still trying to decipher myself. And they fit the music perfectly. Even if you know where the band got its name from and what to expect, UPON THE ALTAR delivers half an hour of unsurpassed violence with a twist of their own. Fans of Death and Black Metal in general should check out “Descendants Of Evil” for a solid example of Extreme Music. Show some support to the band here: www.facebook.com/uponthealtarofficial. And get this album from their label here: www.facebook.com/godzovwar