Pagan Altar | Never Quite Dead | Dying Victims Productions

 

 Pagan Altar is one of the few bands in heavy metal history whose story reads like a myth handed down through generations. Formed in 1978 by vocalist Terry Jones and guitarist Alan Jones, the English outfit emerged during the NWOBHM surge. But unlike many of their contemporaries chasing speed and aggression, Pagan Altar embraced a different path—dark, theatrical, steeped in doom and the melancholy echoes of British folk. Their early demos and obscure gigs gave birth to a legend that few had actually witnessed until much later. Their original debut was recorded in 1982 but went unreleased until 1998, sparking a renewed interest in their legacy. Subsequent releases like “Lords Of Hypocrisy” and “Mythical & Magical” were a resurrection of sorts, created from decades-old material that was reinterpreted with clarity and conviction. Following Terry Jones' passing in 2015, most thought the band’s journey had reached its conclusion. But what once seemed buried has stirred again.

"Never Quite Dead" doesn’t feel like a comeback or a nostalgic reach backward. It’s something else—an extension of the long, fog-draped path the band has always walked. Vocalist Brendan Radigan, stepping into an unenviable role, handles it with solemn restraint and an understanding of what made Terry Jones’ voice so central to the band’s aura. He never oversells or underplays—his tone is shaded, reflective, and careful.

Guitarist Alan Jones continues to craft music that moves like time itself—sometimes slow and heavy like tolling bells, other times lithe with melody drawn from the woodland dusk. There’s an earthiness to the riffs, as if they were discovered in a crumbling chapel rather than written in a studio. The flow from track to track carries the sense of walking through ancient grounds—sorrowful and alive at once.

The songwriting here draws directly from the band’s twilight years with Terry Jones. Some tracks feel nearly fossilized in their purity, while others hint at movements that were perhaps never fully finished until now. The result is coherent. The production suits the band’s spirit: not nostalgic, but timeless. The drums sound warm and cavernous, the guitars rise like mist from the ground, and the bass anchors everything like roots pulling deep into stone.

“Never Quite Dead” indeed feels aptly titled. There’s a ghost in this music—not just in the literal presence of material penned before Terry’s death, but in the way everything sounds suspended between worlds. The folk-laced passages, the steady, mournful marches, and the lyrical references to old graveyards, mystery, and fate are unmistakably Pagan Altar.

This is not a modern album trying to align with current trends. Nor is it an artifact trying to sound older than it is. It's music that naturally exists outside of time, carrying with it a burden of memory and a clarity of vision that has always defined the band. The inclusion of “Kismet,” originally tied to Alan’s early ‘90s band Malac’s Cross, seals the album with quiet purpose—everything here belongs, even what was once far-flung.

Score: 8.5