With 2012's
Grand Gesture of Defiance, the operatic doom metal style of Denmark's
Altar of Oblivion stares down the fearsome beast of sophomore slumps -- a pitiless behemoth notorious for crushing countless metallic crusaders even more gifted and steadfast in their beliefs than these, like so many armor-plated insects. On the upside, the group's 2009 debut,
Sinews of Anguish, staked a promising claim for drinking from the chalice of
Candlemass' old glories; on the downside, it now demands
Altar of Oblivion match and even improve upon the resulting heightened expectations -- a task they unfortunately do not appear up to. Or, more specifically, vocalist Mik Mentor. While his bandmates often manage to inject songs with a highly appealing power chord riff ("When Darkness Is Light"), a catchy chorus ("The Graveyard of Broken Dreams"), a somber melody ("In the Shadow of the Gallows," "Final Perfection"), or sweeping synthesizer ("Sentenced in Absentia"), Mentor just as often lets down his side with insufficient quality, power, and confidence in his pipes. Hamstrung by his deficiencies,
Altar of Oblivion's valiant efforts quickly tumble down the classic doom scale, well out of the
Candlemass league, past
Solitude Aeturnus, past Solace (brought to mind whenever Mentor inadvisably sings unaccompanied), and on and on. Not helping matters,
Grand Gesture of Defiance tops out at just 35 minutes and six songs (five, if you discount the two-minute acoustic interlude "The Smoke-Filled Room"), making it anything but "grand," more of a bloated EP than a proper LP, and, coming three years after its predecessor, hardly suggestive of a band firing on all creative cylinders to begin with. In sum, the beast of sophomore slumps definitely comes out victorious over
Altar of Oblivion's inadequate battle plan here; and while it's always possible the band may yet lick their wounds to live and fight again another day, they'll have to seriously evaluate their arsenal of weapons (hint, hint) before doing so. ~ Eduardo Rivadavia