The Flashcards: El Altar del Holocausto

The Flashcards: El Altar del Holocausto – -IT- (2019)

70/100

Genre: post-rock/metal

This Spanish post-rock outfit, El Altar del Holocausto dedicates their third album to the Holy Spirit, utilizing a horizontally flipped image of Carlo Crivelli’s Pietà painting (1476) depicting the death of Jesus for the cover art. It instantly reminds me of Thumos, who also frequently uses classical artwork. Furthermore, each track title consists of a single, long sentence sourced directly from the Bible—such as Romans 1:18 and Luke 6:27-36—making this a Christian post-rock release despite being entirely instrumental.

Musically, they remain highly relevant to Thumos, Pelican, and Russian Circles, as well as Caspian and their close peers, Dûrga. Tracks one, two, and five follow roughly the same formula, churning the earth with heavy riffs during the first half and final minutes, while the middle sections are handed over to melodic passages and the quiet, clean guitar work typical of post-rock. The sixth track features an inverted structure, supplemented by organ layers from 07:06–07:45 and 08:43–09:25, whereas the fifth track introduces a choir from 01:54–02:21. Tracks three and four are delivered with a lighter touch using a classic crescendo style, making them perhaps the primary choices here. Even so, ever since I first tried this album, I haven't found a feeling that fully resonates with me, so I could easily cast it aside entirely.

Tracklist:

1. I · Because evident is God’s wrath from heaven against all impiety and injustice of men, that they stop the truth with injustice.

2. II · Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who insult you. If someone hits you on one cheek, offer them the other one.

3. III · Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the Lord, by means of a strong Eastern wind throughout the night, He caused the sea to retreat, and changed the sea into dry land. Thus the waters were divided.

4. IV · I have seen his ways, but I will heal him; I will guide him and give him comfort and those who cry with him, I have also given you clean teeth in all your cities, and lack of bread in all your places; but you have not turned against me.

5. V · From the Heart of Jesus opened on the cross, the man with the new heart is born. Lord Jesus, give me a new heart made in the image of yours, infuse a new spirit in the depths of my being, that keeps me open to God, our Father, and available to those who share with me the way of life.

6. VI · They took off his clothes and put a scarlet mantle on him. Then they braided a crown of thorns and placed it on his head. Kneeling before him, they mocked, saying "Hail, King of the Jews!". There is no good tree that can bear bad fruit, nor bad tree that can bear good fruit.

Comments

Breakcore: Subheroine - End. (2025)

77 / 100 End. is Subheroine ’s most immersive and emotionally textured work yet ... Is being a week late enough to make a new release feel cold and stale? Maybe it’s the effect of our fast-paced modern world and the FOMO trend. Who knows. Whatever. Alright then, let’s welcome a new breakcore/drum & bass album (though it runs under 30 minutes) from Subheroine : End. ! End. by SUBHEROINE Released just on November 7 via Japan’s veteran breakcore label, Lost Frog Productions , End . delivers a noticeably more atmospheric vibe this time. So, tagging it as atmospheric drum & bass makes perfect sense, while the “depressive” tag seems to apply only to the cover art. But is that really the case? As always, there are surprises when reviewing music—those unexpected moments that make certain tracks sound more intriguing than expected. The most prominent depressive elements appear in the sampled voice of an anime girl sounding shocked or weakened in...

Electronica/IDM: 4T Thieves - Humanoid (2018)

70 / 100 Humanoid is a compact and tastefully crafted slice of IDM-leaning electronica that blends futuristic elements without overwhelming the listener. I opened my December with an electronica release by 4T Thieves , an EP titled Humanoid , which came out back in February 2018. A brief profile and the project’s track record can be found on RYM or Last.fm , and it’s clear that this act has been active since the 90s, although only arriving on Bandcamp around 2018. Humanoid by 4T Thieves As the name suggests, Humanoid presents a modern environment tinged with a futuristic sci-fi atmosphere, supported by drum work leaning toward IDM and prominent synth/bass that paints the image of a future city gate on “ Elemental .” This is followed by “ Codex ,” which is given a special dose of classic IDM-style glitch effects , and the rest continues into “ The Looking Glass ,” which gives off a nighttime-shadow feel through its slightly dark synth melodies. “Band...

Listening Notes: Playlist Clearance Vol. 1

If a store has a term called clearance sale, then I have a new agenda called playlist clearance . This agenda is meant to clean up releases sitting on my playlist shelves—sometimes for months—without any written listening notes. This matters a lot to me personally, since I prefer listening to music offline rather than streaming, even though platforms like Spotify also offer offline features. I’m already too used to downloading music, even if it means I’ll probably never really get into mainstream artists, which automatically reduces public attention. Hahaha… As for that issue, I do have my own alternative—but for now, I don’t yet have a map to avoid being overwhelmed and confused when diving into streaming platforms just to consume popular releases. Alright, back to cleaning up the playlist. What’s in here this time? Let’s take a look! Abraham – Débris de mondes perdus (2022) 73% Sometimes music can feel like a stab—or a cause of headache—like this fourth album from Sw...

Search This Blog