Band: ALTAR OF COMPLAINTS
Genres: Punk / Rock / Hardcore / Emo / Emo-Violence / Screamo / Ambient / SkramzRelated artists: Cease Upon The Capitol, Sightblinder, Karoshi, Dawn, Van Hagar, Nut Collector, Bzrk, Chasm of Teeth, Subjects/Rulers and Dolcim.
Country: Nashville, Tennessee USA
Years Active: 2011-2014
Song: "Twinkle"
Album: "A Sea of Decency With Some Swells of Greatness"
Year: 2012
Label(s): Self Released / Meatcube Label
This post's artist is from the January 2014 Mix. This is track #4.
You can download: the February Mix#12 right here or get the new March 2015 Mix#1 here.
For fans of: A Flower Kollapsed, Orchid, The Flying Worker!, Endamori, ...Who Calls So Loud, GRYSCL, Cease Upon The Capitol, Ampere, Congratulations, Youth Novel, Carrion Spring, Cold Craving, Dolcim, Crows-An-Wra, Delos, Captain, Your Ship Is Sinking, Moonasi, Via Fondo, State Faults, and Loma Prieta aka PROPER SCREAMO.
ALTAR OF COMPLAINTS were a band I only found out about because one of the members emailed me back in 2013 after I first started the blog. Jesse is his name, and goddammit I love that guy. If you ever have him recommend a band to you, get the fuck on that because he has a near immaculate record with me. Back to his band, I remember seeing dreamo and ALTAR OF COMPLAINTS and almost passing outright on it for such silly, irrelevant reasons. I didn't start doing this blog until 2013, but had I started in 2012 you bet your sweet ass the band's debut/only full length 'A Sea of Decency With Some Swells of Greatness' would have been on the best of list.
"Twinkle" is probably the best song the band recorded. It's just fucking fantastic. The twinkly and spacey beginning eventually condenses to the second half (or final minute, as it's only 1:57) with pounding, rhythmic drums, lightning fast strumming from the strings and some immaculate vocal placement on Roy's part. I really love this pattern and it reminds me of Kaddish's new album, which is obviously saying a lot. Another example of exemplary screaming and timing is found on "Valhalla" which boasts a nice back and forth with dual vocals that remind me of Dolcim and The Setup.
"The Two Parts That Go Together" part "1" and "3" both have elements of Orchid and Dolcim. "Part 1" in particular has some serious Orchid/The Flying Worker/Endamori going on as it rolls relentlessly ahead and makes fantastic use of the subdued, clean guitars and slower (but still massive) transitional pieces. Track four has my favourite song title of the past while, "Rhetorical Quest, Son" and is also one of the strongest songs on the album, relying on the heavier side of stuff without being silly hard and definitely retains a strong sense of European screamo. "Why are You Asking Why?" and "This Song is Friggin' Serious" are two more great tracks on a ridiculously impressive debut, with the latter combining so many phenomenal elements I'm generally left drooling on the floor. "Walt's Waltz" is another song that has too many amazing parts to talk about, so just go listen!
"The Power of Complaint Compels You" was an incomplete (mastered-wise) demo had the band experimenting with some lighter instrumentals and harsher vocals, which is pretty cool. The general feel of the songs is a bit different although they still retain their general sound, which makes distinguishing the differences difficult. This track moves along at a pace that is wedged somewhere between the slow jams and chaotic parts of the previous album. That seems to give the track more urgency, but it also flows so well it's kind of relaxing at the same time.
They broke up before my boys in Congratulations were able to play with them back in mid-2014 and I was pretty upset that the band had called it quits after releasing such amazing new material in 2012 and the 2013/2014 demos. Alas, that's what this blog is for, in the case you haven't heard of this amazing band that existed for way too short a time. Download all their stuff from their bandcamp page or if you're feeling lazy I've compiled them all into one zip file to download right heeya.
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2012 - A Sea of Decency With Some Swells of Greatness cdLP (stream/donate/download here)
2012 - Friday Night at Frazier Electric live digitalEP (stream/donate/download here)
2014 - The Power of Complaint Compels You digital single (stream/donate/download here)
2015 - Stubborn Father / Seek / Thetan split 12" coming this summer from Meatcube Label
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(2012) ALTAR OF COMPLAINTS - "Twinkle" (from 'A Sea of Decency With Some Swells of Greatness')
(2012) ALTAR OF COMPLAINTS - "Walt's Waltz" (from 'A Sea of Decency With Some Swells of Greatness')
(2012) ALTAR OF COMPLAINTS - "Rhetorical Quest, Son" (from 'A Sea of Decency With Some Swells of Greatness')
(2012) ALTAR OF COMPLAINTS - "The Two Parts That Go Together Part 1" (from 'A Sea of Decency With Some Swells of Greatness')
(2012) ALTAR OF COMPLAINTS - "Valhalla" (from 'A Sea of Decency With Some Swells of Greatness')
(2014) ALTAR OF COMPLAINTS - "The Power of Complaint Compels You" (single)
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ALTAR OF COMPLAINTS out of print mp3 discography download / additional links
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