Pagan Altar, originally formed by father and son team Terry and Alan Jones back in the late 1970s as the New Wave of British Heavy Metal was taking off have a reissue of their Lords of Hypocrisy album reissued via Dying Victims Productions.
The band have something of a cult/legendary status in NWOBHM circles and way back in the day offered up something that bit different with the dark, doomy, brooding yet heavy style somewhat akin to say Witchfinder General and early Black Sabbath mixed in with some proggy elements.
Pagan Altar pretty much disappeared for a couple of decades before reappearing again in 2004. That reformation saw them re-record various songs they’d written between 1976 and 1983 and got a release as the Lords of Hypocrisy album.
It’s a banger of an album too. Brutally heavy, dark and brooding yet encompassing more of the progressive and even heavy, pastoral folksy passages.
Terry Jones has the ideal vocal style for the material and son Alan is so adept at the big, atmospheric riffing, chunky chords and glorious deft solos. Indeed – the entire album is a joy.
It’s such a great listen. You have the full on assaults of the title track and Satan’s Henchmen. Also the longer, more brooding slow-burners of Sentinels of Hate and Armageddon and the crushing The Aftermath all of which hit hard.
Here is The Aftermath:
Whilst Pagan Altar may not have had a stellar career, those NWOBHM roots remain strong as shown here with the brooding doomyness being sharp and incisive along with the working in of the proggy and folksy elements.
The band have continued to pop up releasing album sporadically since. Most recently in 2025 with Never Quite Dead. I must get hold of that.
Top marks to Dying Victims Productions for reissuing Lords of Hypocrisy. Various formats both physical and digital up on their BandCamp page:
https://dyingvictimsproductions.bandcamp.com/album/lords-of-hypocrisy
Judgement of the Dead was reissued by Dying Victims a few years ago and now they’ve continued with this reissue of Lords of Hypocrisy. Oh: and check out The Story of Pagan Altar too.
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