In this, its unholy 13th year, doth Nashville’s ACT OF IMPALEMENT lie us upon its third and aptly titled Profane Altar. Let the sacrifice begin…

When founding guitarist/vocalist Ethan Rock revealed a new lineup before the release of 2023’s Infernal Ordinance, some wondered if this new incarnation would retain the spirit of the band some of us had followed since its early days. In a word, no. And it wasn’t intended to. Hence, when ‘Apparition’ appears, it’s with a somehow even older, more ancient tone than we’ve heard previously. Imagine BOLT THROWER as interpreted by a Cro-Magnon rhythm section and silverback gorilla, and you have the idea.

‘Piercing The Heavens’ melds an almost grind in the style of GENERAL SURGERY to a riff that wouldn’t be out of place in early INCANTATION material, while ‘Sanguine Rites’ drunkenly swaggers/stumbles through waist-deep trench blood rivers. Unrestrained and bristling with a noxious disdain, ‘Deities Of The Weak’ contains some of Rock’s most twisted and gnarled riffwork yet, while the Jerry Garner / Aaron Hortman bass and drum duo prove their worth in spades. I’d love to hear Hortman’s artillery get a bit more separation in the mix, because I can sense there’s a lot happening that’s not being heard, but it’s a small – and the only true – gripe.

‘Gnashing Teeth’ is its name in sonic form, sonic references to LAIR OF THE MINOTAUR, HELLHAMMER, and even PUNGENT STENCH, and ‘Zenith Of Barbarism’ contains a passage [0:49-2:00] where, if you draw down on the gore-slick disfigurement of the riff and rhythm, you might just find yourself transformed as well. The title track is as close to a head-on collision of AVULSED and AUTOPSY as you’ll ever hear, a blend that could only have been concocted in festering primordial ooze.

ACT OF IMPALEMENT is part of a small yet seemingly unfuckwithable group of bands who’ve kept themselves staunchly apart from the death metal glut of the past few years, and the 30 minutes of Profane Altar are a testament to derision.
Review By: Lord Randall

ACT OF IMPALEMENT
Profane Altar
Caligari Records