Formed in 2006, Ireland's Altar Of Plagues have quickly gone on to establish themselves as the new kings of dark music. They allow themselves no stylistic boundaries, but are never anything but bleak. While they clearly arise from black metal sonically,...Formed in 2006, Ireland's Altar Of Plagues have quickly gone on to establish themselves as the new kings of dark music. They allow themselves no stylistic boundaries, but are never anything but bleak. While they clearly arise from black metal sonically, they are as likely to draw on Bjork as they are Burzum, or on Arvo Pärt as they are Emperor. More recently, they have begun incorporating elements from electronic music, grindcore and even Converge's unique brand of fury to carve a niche that belongs to Altar Of Plagues alone. This individual approach quickly saw them snapped up by Canadian label Profound Lore, where they released their debut album 'White Tomb' in 2009, which featured in Decibel Magazine's Best Of 2009 list. An appearance at the prestigious Roadburn Festival in 2010 – a sign of their ability to reach beyond the traditional black metal audience – and signing to Candlelight Records for the UK and EU. 2011 saw them release their second full-length masterpiece in the shape of 'Mammal', an album which Terrorizer Magazine ranked amongst the ten best records of the year. That year also saw them tour extensively across Europe, including a performance to a packed room at Damnation Festival, where evidence that their ferocious, energetic live sets were finding an audience. Now, in 2013, with the release of their third, greatest work 'Teethed Glory And Injury', the band have cemented themselves as one of the essential heavy bands of their time.
