{"product_id":"altar-of-eden-the-grotto-scream-ii","title":"Altar Of Eden - The Grotto Scream II","description":"\u003cp\u003eThey live! If this summer’s endless bout of heatwaves seems an odd setting for a new \u003cstrong\u003eAltar Of Eden\u003c\/strong\u003e record, maybe we should consider that the fast-accelerating destruction of life on Earth is an appropriate setting for more deathrock. The eagle-eyed among you might recognise guitarist \u003cstrong\u003eBen Redman\u003c\/strong\u003e from recent lineups of symphonic noiseniks \u003cstrong\u003e…And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead\u003c\/strong\u003e, while vocalist \u003cstrong\u003eAlbert Efraim\u003c\/strong\u003e has been making a thrillingly unholy racket with Texan hardcore faves like \u003cstrong\u003ethe Creamers\u003c\/strong\u003e and \u003cstrong\u003eNosferatu\u003c\/strong\u003e - and they both played together in gothed-out sensations \u003cstrong\u003eAltar Duata\u003c\/strong\u003e before that band’s untimely demise. Altar Of Eden have thus far produced two mighty LPs of smartly chilling post-punk for Drunken Sailor - 2020’s wondrous \u003cem\u003eThe Grotto Screams\u003c\/em\u003e and 2022’s superb follow-up \u003cem\u003eChimeras\u003c\/em\u003e - but now they return with a sequel to their debut: \u003cem\u003eThe Grotto Screams II\u003c\/em\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn keeping with their previous offerings, it’s superb. Redman’s guitar is brittle and minimal, but lurches into eardrum-lacerating strafes of deafening, brutal noise without warning, while \u003cstrong\u003eJake Cloud\u003c\/strong\u003e brings driving, pulsating basslines to the fore, dripping with the influence of \u003cstrong\u003eKilling Joke\u003c\/strong\u003e’s \u003cstrong\u003eYouth\u003c\/strong\u003e as they hold it all together somehow. Efraim intones his lyrics solemnly over the top, drenched in reverb and tucked deep into the mix; as much a texture as a means of delivering hooks. He’s cited the poetry of Jean-Pierre Duprey and Rene Daumal as influences in the past, and tracks like \u003cem\u003eThe Erasure\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eLight And Shade\u003c\/em\u003e certainly contain their own suffocating sense of surrealism and obfuscated reality. It all builds to the epic finale of closing track \u003cem\u003eThe Moon\u003c\/em\u003e, which handles their signature tricks in moodily grandiose fashion - a bleakly compelling version of post-punk that sears and soars even as it chills the heart. Arguably Duprey’s most famous line goes, “I shouldn't have got stuck in this galaxy,” and as humanity brings about its own destruction, it’s worth suggesting that this applies to us all. But at least Altar Of Eden bring a hell of a soundtrack while we all burn.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"DRUNKEN SAILOR RECORDS","offers":[{"title":"Black Vinyl LP","offer_id":58813534011737,"sku":"SDZ-50164","price":23.99,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0588\/3455\/0945\/files\/0046125764_10.jpg?v=1786376392","url":"https:\/\/spindizzyrecords.com\/products\/altar-of-eden-the-grotto-scream-ii","provider":"Spindizzy Dublin","version":"1.0","type":"link"}