PAGAN ALTAR- NEVER QUITE DEAD (2025) CD
Label: Dying Victim Productions
Duration: 42 Minutes
Band:
Brendan Radigan – Vocals
Alan Jones – Guitars
Diccon Harper – Bass
Andy Green – Drums
Folky doom-rockers Pagan Altar have been a underground force since the the early days of the NWOBHM movement, active initially from 1978-1986, though their brand of folk-infused doomy hard rock went largely unknown outside of the UK until the 90's well after the band had dissolved, when a collection of their music was re-issued. More re-issues followed and the band's legacy grew in metal circles, the band reforming in 2004, re-recording vintage material from the '70s and '80s, the father and son team of guitarist Alan Jones and his father Terry Jones taking up the mantle of Pagan Altar once more. Sadly, founding vocalist Terry Jones’ died from cancer in 2015, with Alan and the band finishing the work that Terry started, releasing 2017's the The Room of Shadows album. With this new album, the appropriately titled Never Quite Dead vocalist Brendan Radigan (of Savage Oath) steps into Terry's shoes, quite capably, his voice having a resemblance to Terry's, with a slightly nasally register and a bit of grit, I dig it. The songs here all, for the most part, date back to the days with Terry, he having written many of lyrics for the songs, but some of which did not have finished lyrics or song structures at the time of his death. The stories of which are lovingly detailed in the accompany booklet with extensive liner notes from his son Alan, that I found pretty fascinating. Getting into the album here, the production sounds terrific, the heavier doomy riffs sound terrific, the folksier stuff shines, the singing is nicely brought into focus, and the bottom end holds it own. The album opens with "Saints And Sinners", surprising upbeat, reminding at forst blush of a Deep Purple of Whitesnake rocker, the organ grinding away, multi-layered vocals, it's a rocker, and a bit of an upbeat banger that soars. Next is "Liston Church", a nice doom n' gloomer, mid-paced, some really tasty twin guitar work, bringing to mind Candlemass, then into the two-part "Madame M'Rachel" and "Madame M'Rachel's Grave" the first part slower folksier, airier tune, then into the more upbeat second part, again some wonderfully vibrant guitar work, Radigan's mournful vocals sound terrific, tasty drum fills from and solid bottom end. "Well Of Despair" is another doomy Candlemass-esque burner, lots of textured guitar and tones, gorgeous soloing over it, the vocals. I love the song structure of "The Dead's Last March", infectious guitar leads and riffs that captivated me, a strong turn from Madigan on vocals. "Westbury Express" is a full-on folksy blues interlude that would not have been out of place on Pink Floyd's A Saucerful of Secrets album, then into the album closer, the 12-min "Kismet", chock full of delicate acoustic guitar work, electric soloing, then into soaring leads and a magnificent turn from Radigan.
It's a pretty terrific doomy hard rock album with folksy flourishes, well keeping in the mythical and magic tradition of past Pagan Altar album - you can certainly still feel the late Terry Jones presence looming over the album, but the vocals from singer Radigan brings new mournful charisma to the band, and while I will say I love Terry's voice on the older albums, I think Radigan is just a stronger singer overall. This might well be the last album to have the later Terry Jones fingerprints but I do hope to see this incarnation of the band keep on, this quite a tasty trad-doom album, and one that I have had playing in my car for weeks with no signs of taking it out of rotation anytime soon. I also hope to see more Pagan Altar catalog titles get new re-issues from Dying Victim Productions - the Pagan Altar albums have been hard to come by for a minutes, so I have truly appreciated having them widely available, and in the hands of fans like myself.
The single-disc CD release arrives in a standard jewel case with a clear insert tray with a 20-page booklet containing lyrics and liner notes for each song by co-founding member Alan Jones. This release also comes with a removable Obi-Strip on the spine, and ticked away inside is a sticker with a version of the album artwork.
Tracklist:
1. Saints And Sinners (4:12)
2. Liston Church (5:54)
3. Madame M'Rachel (4:05)
4. Madame M'Rachel's Grave (4:01)
5. Well Of Despair (4:56)
6. The Dead's Last March (4:26)
7. Westbury Express (1:26)
8. Kismet (9:12)
Buy it!
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