Cave Altar is not a stranger to these pages. Back in 2021 I have already reviewed their first manifestation, the “Impermanence” demo tape. 2 years after that material, the band released its follow up, “Serenity in Ruins“, via Fekete Terror Productions. This EP came out on blue tape, limited to 66 pieces.
Musically the new material doesn’t differ much from the first demo, with 2 songs filled with misery and grief. The extremely slow tempo is absolutely crushing and oppressive from start to finish, giving you no reason for joy or happiness whatsoever. I’m really not sure where Kryptagonist and G.V got their gloomy inspiration from, but it seems they did one hell of a job with these releases.
Everything on “Serenity in Ruins” feels as if drowned in misery, from the bleak cover to the music itself. If “Impermanence” had some “positive aspects” (colored cover, keyboards), Cave Altar made sure to remove them completely from this second material. The songs are even more depressive and bleaker, the cover is black and white and the overall felling I was left with at the end was of complete hopelessness.
“Trembling Seas” has a mammoth like structure, as it consists of more than 7 minutes of pure crushing sorrowful music, with repetitive guitar riffs, obsessive drumming and guttural vocals. The only moment of “light” comes around the 5th minute, when a clean voice pops up from the dark, only to vanish as quickly as it appeared.
“Digesting Insanity” (what a cool Lovecraftian name) is the shortest track and, let’s say, the more melodic one. It starts off with some good bass and clean guitar lines, which are swallowed shortly after by the same cavernous vocals and crushing rhythms. Somewhere around the 11th minute, a wailing guitar solo pierces the omnipresent blackness for the 1st time, hovering for a minute before the songs ends abruptly.
It took me several listens to fully appreciate this EP, but in the end I absolutely loved it. It is not an easy listen for sure, you have to be in a certain mood for it, but once you pierce through its darkness you’ll discover its true beauty.
Band Links:
https://cavealtar.bandcamp.com
scrollsofdarmoth.com 
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