[ALBUM REVIEW] The Fallen Prophets - Slaughtered at the Altar

ARTIST: The Fallen Prophets

ALBUM NAME: Slaughtered at the Altar

RELEASE DATE: 5 March 2016

COUNTRY: South Africa

CITY: Cape Town

GENRE – Brutal Death Metal

MEMBERS:

Vox – Pieter Pieterse
Drums – Morne ”Finch” Swanepoel
Guitar – Francois vd Merwe
Bass – Thariq “Pestillence” Taladia

Wow. Wow. Wow.

That is the best way to start this review, I think.

I’m sitting at my part time job, which is in a pretty bourgeoisie centre in Durban, thrashing what is left of my hair back and forth. Get your neck muscles conditioned people, this album demands it. It’s always such a treat to listen to a bands’ new album, and find yourself smiling and head-banging without realising.
Enough about that, let’s get to the nitty-gritty.

The choral intro is something I really loved. The eerie feeling of possibly finding something quite shocking , gets you ready for the brutal nature of the rest of the album. It really does get brutal, but in the most beautiful way. The mixture of melodic and hardcore really makes for an amazing eargasm. Brace yourselves.

I’m pretty sure this album isn’t supposed to make me smile, but I am. I guess the happiness comes from hearing such amazing music from a band here in SA. I am very proud of our scene in SA.

I really love the vocals. Pieter and Francios, you guys really do know how to use those voices! Big ups. They remind me of the band Shokran, with a mix of the new Chelsea Grin and a slight dash of After the Burial and Forgotten Tears. (If you haven’t heard of them, you’ve been asleep far too long). That is quite the mixture, but a sign of a versatile band, which is always a great thing when listening to a new album release. It keeps you wanting to hear more, because you just never know what the next song may sound like. If I could give them any advice it would be:
DON’T BE AFRAID TO EXPERIMENT MORE! They have a fantastic understanding of the instruments they already use, but I think they could take a page out of Murder On her Minds book.

The drumming in this album is just amazing. Unbelievably on point. I love the fact that the drummer can walk on either an offbeat or perfectly timed road.

Now to talk about individual songs!

The intro to Destroy What Destroys You sets you up to believe the song is going in one direction and then BOOM, brutality! I love it. Keeps you on your toes.

Corruptionis also one of my personal favourites, I think the drumming could have been a little faster throughout, it kind of felt like the song was just a bit too slow. Which kind of gave it the feel that it wasn’t timed properly. Having said that, the changes in the song are fantastically sharp, in a good way.

I watched some of their shows online – unfortunately living in Durban means you don’t get to see very many bands from other provinces – the casual demeanour of the band is just epic. Heavy metal villains in board shorts, with blood splattered faces and bare feet. Blows my mind.

The feeling I walked away with after hearing the album is that of triumph over adversity. Basically a giant zap sign to those who think otherwise.

The production of this album is brilliant. International standards. Really crisp sound. The flow of the album is really great. Well done to all who are involved. If I could just say ONE thing, Francois voice needs to be heard a little better; otherwise you guys are spot on!
I have one random question – why are the related songs on Soundcloud the likes of John Legend and Martin Garrix? Confusion much?

Make sure to check them at THE RABBIT HOLE on the 29th of April for the EPIC Wacken Open Air Metal Battle!