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UK cult metal act Pagan Altar somewhat preceded the meat of NWOBHM, having formed in 1978 and with a decidedly different approach to the metal of the day. Never having released anything in this fertile time for metal, the band nonetheless remained a cult favorite for decades and only many years later did product appear chronicling their uniquely English approach to proto doom. Sadly original frontman Terry Jones passed about ten years ago, but material he wrote has been resurrected by the latest incarnation of the band—Brendan Radigan (vocals), Alan Jones (guitars/vocals), Diccon Harper (bass), Andy Green (drums)—and is being presented here for the first time on Never Quite Dead. We gave the band the opportunity to not only premiere the album here, but also have Alan Jones (son of Terry) explain the origins of the tracks.
Never Quite Dead is set for release on cassette, CD, vinyl and digitally on April 25 via Dying Victim Productions. Place your preorder here.
“Saints and Sinners”
“Saints and Sinners” was the last song Pagan Altar was working on before the band spilt in 1984. My dad had got the chorus but was not happy with the verses and had something down but would have changed it at some point. Brendan finished the song in 2024.
“Liston Church”
“Liston Church” was another song my dad had completed the lyrics for around 2012 or 2013. It is supposed to be one of the most haunted Churches in England (aren’t they all?). We did start rehearsing it with the band at that time and would have put it in the set if we would have brought that album out.
“Madame M’Rachael Pt 1-2”
“Madame M’Rachael” is the only song my dad wrote that was something to do with his own history, and was an urban legend about the graveyard in Rotherhithe Church, which is right on the waterfront of the Thames. The story at that time went was that Madame M’Rachael had three children that each had the head of a pig . She was meant to haunt her grave and even now it is still an urban legend.
“Well of Despair”
I think this the first real doom song we did on purpose. I believe we wrote it between 2012–2013. It started off as a bit of a spoof and when I took it to my dad he really liked it and wrote some brilliant words to it which changed the whole tone of the song. We decided to put it on what would have been the next album.
“The Dead’s Last March”
This songs music was written to go on the next album back in about 2013–2014, but my dad never got around to starting it so this is the first full song Brendan and I collaborated on.
“Westbury Express”
I always like to put a little instrumental on an album if I can, normally just before the last track. I think it gives the listener a bit of a rest especially if there are two big tracks on either side of it. The Westbury Express is just the train we take down to Westbury where Andy meets us when we have a get together and rehearse at Wiltshire.
“Kismet”
“Kismet” was written around 1991 mainly at in our keyboard player Louise’s kitchen in Sidcup. We all got together one weekend with my dad who wasn’t actually in the band but was standing in for us until we managed to get a singer. This band was the pre-runner to what eventually became Malac’s Cross and we had just started getting the lyrics together to some of the songs we had been working on. “Kismet” was one.
The post Full Album Stream: Pagan Altar –Never Quite Dead Again appeared first on Decibel Magazine.
