BLASPHEMY
"Blood Upon the Altar/ Gods of War " 

Double LP

BLACK WAX!!!

Limited to 250 copies!

Released by NWN records

Brand new, never played!

Blasphemy ?– Blood Upon The Altar / Gods Of War

Tracklist ?

Notes?

Gatefold cover 350gram glossy. Double LP 45RPM, 180GRM vinyl.

"God Of War" vinyl side A titled "Apocalypse" and B side titled "Abyss".

"Blood Upon The Altar" vinyl side A titled "Darkness" and B side "Impurity"

This is where it all begun. That 30% or so of black metal bands who play that style that sounds like nothing but chaos to the inexperienced and at its best represents the dizzying heights that black metal can be taken to. Beherit, Proclamation, Conqueror, Revenge, Archgoat… these bands would sound nothing like they do or did if it wasn’t for Blasphemy. Combining the speed of grindcore, the hardness and grit of first wave death metal, and the evil of early black metal (such as Mayhem – Deathcrush), Blood upon the Altar showcases Blasphemy’s unique take on extreme metal in its rawest, most unrefined form. Their instantly recognizable style would soon be developed and matured until it reached its peak on Gods of War four years later, but Blood upon the Altar is still an undeniable classic, the very first of its kind.

The vocals are heavily grindcore influenced, fast-paced grunts and snarls that will remind the listener of Repulsion and Napalm Death; however there is also a bit of a more typical black metal rasp to them. The lyrics are the best kind of black metal lyrics, songs about war, genocide, and satanic rites. The production does not do justice to the vocals, which are a lot better than they sound here. They never really were done justice until Gods of War; on Fallen Angel of Doom the vocals sounded even worse than they do on this demo. The vocals reinforce the grindcore feel to Blood upon the Altar, and Blasphemy have obviously derived a lot of influence from 80s grindcore, which is certainly a great style to incorporate into your music.

Blood upon the Altar is not to be missed. While their two full-lengths, especially their second, may show a more mature and carefully thought-out sound, this demo is still a great offering that not only rises above nearly every black metal album, EP or demo released since (excluding, of course, Blasphemy’s own), but its influence can be heard in nearly any black metal album these days. Next time you chuck on The Oath of Black Blood or Joined in Darkness, instead of thinking like everyone else seems to “Wow, I wish I could find another band like Beherit/Demoncy/whoever,” you’ll see the all-pervading influence of the mighty, the one and only, Blasphemy!