ACT OF IMPALEMENT - Profane Altar (Review)

Written by: Blackie Skulless

For over a decade now, the U.S. filth-slingers Act Of Impalement have been reeking up the honky-tonk streets of Nashville. While teetering on the doom side of the death metal spectrum, they’re seldom known for oozing into that rumbly-bumbly howling in their later efforts, at least to a large extent. This is to remain the case on the newest record to hit the scene. While I found the band to be serviceable before, it was 2025’s Profane Altar that truly sold me on them.

Out of the gate, I may go as far as saying that the doomier aspects of the outfit are seldom now, opting for something that swings in chops more aligned with the hardcore camp. But fear not, because this doesn’t come close to falling into the dime-a-dozen pitfall not uncommon in many a Gatecreeper riff. No, this retains the grizzly and gross production, chunky and marshy riffs, with a burning buzz that simply takes a stompier angle in the rhythmic executions. “Sanguine Rites” comes to mind, being a fine example of the doomier influence rearing its ugly head, but the boiling center and explosive closing slams are enough to make Harm’s Way blush. Never mind the fact that the dark narratives and grimy tales in the lyrics bolster this to another step.

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Hell, some of these songs feel like a full immersion into a hardcore format while holding out on the stylistic choices in favor of straight death metal execution. Quicker numbers like “Final Sacrifice” and “Apparition” are the easiest to point to in this regard, but never does it feel like there’s an awkward shift in tone, nor a note out of place. It reaches the most impressive fronts on “Deities Of The Weak,” taking a filthy mosher and breaking down into some of the thickest crawls topped off with horrendous, alto-type shrieks that draw shivers real fast. It certainly helps that the release as a whole is pretty brief, just barely touching the thirty-minute mark, but if none of this is enough to make it feel swift, the inclusion of strong solos from time to time will be that final touch.
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Profane Altar is Act Of Impalement’s best work to date, being the album that hooked me on the band. This is hateful, this is mean, this is fucking lethal in the most sophisticated way. It doesn’t need to be pretentious, yet it samples many things in a small amount of time without remorse, feeling unique. That’s all I can ask for; jack of hardcore and doom, but king only of death.

Act Of Impalement - Profane Altar was released Feb. 28th, 2025 via Caligari Records. Find it here!

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Act Of Impalement can be found on Bandcamp and Instagram
Cover art by Misanthropic Art