BW&BK; has received the following press release:

Ireland’s most promising extreme metal band since PRIMORDIAL, ALTAR OF PLAGUES, have completed work on their debut full-length album, White Tomb.

Already gaining quite a reputation with their Through The Cracks Of The Earth demo and especially with their self-released Sol glorified EP (and along with gaining more of a reputation having already done a UK tour with MAYHEM), Altar Of Plagues have morphed their layered sound into an apocalyptic sonic maelstrom that not only upholds the band’s black metal beginnings, but takes that initial paradigm and into more-vast, epic, experimental and ambient cinematic musical terrain. Where Sol was an immense progression from their demo, taking the band’s bleak vision of a scenario of desolate and abandoned urban wastelands and creating and shaping their distinct style of apocalyptic virulent melodic black metal, White Tomb takes the sonic vision of Sol and expands it much further into new epic, destructive and desolate, collapsing, and unforgiving sonic realms. If black metal traditionally conjures scenes of epic nature, massive cascading waterfalls and engulfing forests, Altar Of Plagues create stark images of crumbling skyscrapers, dying and rotten urban structures, empty cracked worn down highways and desolate vast oceans.

The album’s warm edged sound and uncompromising production portray’s the band’s visceral wall-of-sound effect without falling into a typical synthetically triggered digital-sounding paradigm nor falling into a post-whatever sounding mess. Other elements such as KHANATE/BURNING WITCH-esque painful slow trudging doom also find their way into the mix as White Tomb also features guest vocals from Nathan Misterek of the now defunct doom gods GRAVES AT SEA, minimalistic electronica and haunting Cold Meat Industry industrial ambient, along with the towering apocalyptic vibes of OLD MAN GLOOM and old-school ISIS (Mosquito Control/Celestial era) layered with the instrumental textures that bands like MOGWAI and RED SPAROWES portray, White Tomb (mastered by Colin Marston of KRALLICE/BEHOLD… THE ARCTOPUS/DYSRHYTHMIA etc.) is a vicious and atmospheric pillage that orchestrates the collapse of Earth; a depiction of civilization (or what’s left of it) in despair attempting to re-build a world destroyed and shattered by their own hands.

Tracklisting for White Tomb is as follows: 'Earth: i) As A Womb, ii) As A Furnace', 'Through The Collapse: i) Watchers Restrained, ii) Gentian Truth'

An MP3 excerpt from ‘Earth’ can be heard here.

Altar Of Plagues are: James O' Ceallaigh - guitar/vocals/keys, David Condon - bass/vocals, Barry English - drums

Expect White Tomb to be released via Profound Lore Records on April 17th.

Also the band are also embarking on a short UK tour as well culminating in a show with their Profound Lore label mates WINTERFYLLETH, taking place on February 22nd at the GRV in Edinburgh, Scotland.

Dates for the upcoming Altar Of Plagues tour are as follows:

February

20 - The Grosvenor - London, UK
21 - Stuck On A Name Studios - Nottingham, UK
22 - The GRV - Edinburgh, Scotland (with WINTERFYLLETH)

The band are also planning to do some extensive US touring in Fall 2009. For more info please visit profoundlorerecords.com.