For those who are new to the band, Pagan Altar is one of the best heavy metal/NWOBHM acts to date. The group was formed back in 1980 and quickly reached a cult-status for the fans of the genre. This is a re-release of their 2006 album and it is a solid proof of their underrated genius. Pagan Altar are a metal band I'm always looking forward too to listen to. There are only a few bands playing metal at such an original level as they do. Their music is very difficult to describe, anyway, there's not a second band sounding similar to them. There are two words coming into my mind: Mythical & Magical. They make each song interesting in its own special way & they create music on a high technical level that still crawls under the skin. Waves of forceful riffs, lengthy fantastic melodious guitarsolos by an underrated axehero Alan Jones & awkward nasal vocals by bro and co-founder Terry Jones are complemented by the occasional and very effective acoustic guitar, female chants and medieval-ish flourish. Furthermore they manage to alternate from heavy into medieval melancholic passages, without making it sound interfering or contrived.
Mythical & Magical was easily 2006's best heavy metal masterpiece.