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Cloak Of Altering - Plague Beasts



7 | 31 votes |
Release date: 29 April 2014
Style: Avantgarde black metal

Owners:

15 have it
12 want it


01. Plague Beasts
02. White Inverted Void
03. Translucent Body Deformities
04. Chaos Magician Of The Abyss
05. Ash666ura
06. Into Celestial Hell
07. Altering Forever

Staff review by
X-Ray Rod
Rating:
8.4
As some of you know, I'm a shameless "Mories" fanboy. I always end up having huge expectations for all his new releases and the latest Cloak Of Altering was not an exception. The previous album, Ancient Paths Through Timeless Voids, as well as the NONE EP were turning points for this project as it showed a different side of Mories' works in which electronic elements where heavily used. It seems like Cloak Of Altering got a solid identity and could easily be separated from the rest of his projects. So how does Plague Beasts compare? Is it better or worse? Nah, it's just a bit different.

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published 03.06.2014 | Comments (41)

Mories de Jong, ever the proficient craftsman, is back with his second full length of the year (first being the second Seirom album, which you need in your life): the third installation from his Cloak Of Altering project. Here you'll find the usual bag of tricks that's come to be associated with this ride in Mories' carnival: black metal interspersed with industrial and other nightmarish electronic/ambient touches, painting a picture that's both beautiful and deranged in all its repulsive splendor.

Get on it, ye hipsters.

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Thumbs up: Mr. Doctor, Ag Fox

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Comments: 47   Visited by: 203 users
06.05.2014 - 13:02
!J.O.O.E.!
Account deleted
Written by Daniell on 06.05.2014 at 09:58

Actually I wanted to edit it, but had to go, so I deleted it.
Here's the less than positive review from Chronicles of Chaos:
http://chroniclesofchaos.com/articles.aspx?id=2-6781

Not that I agree with the review, but I do think that Mories should stop releasing albums so often.

Hmm well Mories still manages to make albums that generally don't sound like his other ones on a consistent basis. I haven't listened to this yet though so can't comment on it, but I'm fine with his output so far. I get the impression that reviewer is generally not a fan of Mories' approach to music as it reads more of an indictment of his general output than that particular album so it's hard to give credit to him there.
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06.05.2014 - 15:03
!J.O.O.E.!
Account deleted
Anyone that doesn't like his approach here should probably give Seirom a go. Here's a track from the new release. Pretty chilled and impressive stuff.

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06.05.2014 - 15:50
Rating: 8
X-Ray Rod
Skandino
Written by Auntie Sahar on 06.05.2014 at 07:07
Gotta disagree with your disagreement
Here the BM and weird elements are balanced a lot better I think, Ancient Paths and The Night Comes Illuminated With Death were great, but felt tilted more towards one than the other. This is total 50/50. I may be biased though because of the artwork, because that's easily the best for the project yet.


Just because it's balanced in terms of elements it doesn't make it better. That's where we disagree.
The artwork is just ok as well. With that I mean just the one on front. It's nicer inside and the artzine as bonus is even better.
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Written by BloodTears on 19.08.2011 at 18:29
Like you could kiss my ass
Written by Milena on 20.06.2012 at 10:49
Rod, let me love you.
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06.05.2014 - 16:11
!J.O.O.E.!
Account deleted
Think I'm with Rod on this one; probably my least favourite CoA release, although it's still undeniably great stuff and I'm not disappointed in the slightest. I think the fact it's so "balanced" is the problem. This lacks the peculiarity of NONE, the sudden moments of unexpected euphoria of Ancient Paths... and the, at the time, hitherto unheard of uniqueness of The Night Comes...

So yeah, very good stuff indeed, but I'm very satisfied and happy, rather than in awe like I have been at many other junctures in Mories' career.
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06.05.2014 - 16:22
Rating: 8
X-Ray Rod
Skandino
^ This comment sums up everything I wanted to say post-format. Now I just have to make it review-format. xD

I must mention the production as well. I'm not entirely sold on this one. All the others had perfect production for their respective styles but I think this one is too muddy for its own good.
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Written by BloodTears on 19.08.2011 at 18:29
Like you could kiss my ass
Written by Milena on 20.06.2012 at 10:49
Rod, let me love you.
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06.05.2014 - 16:26
!J.O.O.E.!
Account deleted
Written by X-Ray Rod on 06.05.2014 at 16:22

^ This comment sums up everything I wanted to say post-format. Now I just have to make it review-format. xD

I must mention the production as well. I'm not entirely sold on this one. All the others had perfect production for their respective styles but I think this one is too muddy for its own good.

Heheh, feel free to stretch my words as far as you can take them xD

And yes, I think I agree with the production point too. I just went back to have a quick listen of the other albums, mostly for their sound, and they do seem punchier and brighter than this one.
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06.05.2014 - 16:31
Rating: 8
X-Ray Rod
Skandino
Written by Guest on 06.05.2014 at 16:26

Written by X-Ray Rod on 06.05.2014 at 16:22

^ This comment sums up everything I wanted to say post-format. Now I just have to make it review-format. xD

Heheh, feel free to stretch my words as far as you can take them xD

I'll try not to do that. Some people already see me as too much of a copycat/manhoodsucker so I don't want to fuel that thought... xD
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Written by BloodTears on 19.08.2011 at 18:29
Like you could kiss my ass
Written by Milena on 20.06.2012 at 10:49
Rod, let me love you.
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06.05.2014 - 16:33
!J.O.O.E.!
Account deleted
Written by X-Ray Rod on 06.05.2014 at 16:31

I'll try not to do that. Some people already see me as too much of a copycat/manhoodsucker so I don't want to fuel that thought... xD

It's not our fault if we both have awesome tastes :3
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06.05.2014 - 18:23
Auntie Sahar
Drone Empress
Written by Guest on 06.05.2014 at 15:03

Anyone that doesn't like his approach here should probably give Seirom a go.

I didn't even notice Seirom was Mories backwards until Daniel noted it
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I am the Magician and the Exorcist. I am the axle of the wheel, and the cube in the circle. “Come unto me” is a foolish word: for it is I that go.

~ II. VII
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06.05.2014 - 18:25
!J.O.O.E.!
Account deleted
Written by Auntie Sahar on 06.05.2014 at 18:23

I didn't even notice Seirom was Mories backwards until Daniel noted it

I hadn't noticed that until I read your post right this second. Well well. I'm clearly not the most observant person in the world.

*Goes and reads all favourite bands backwards*
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06.05.2014 - 18:41
Auntie Sahar
Drone Empress
Written by Guest on 06.05.2014 at 18:25

Written by Auntie Sahar on 06.05.2014 at 18:23

I didn't even notice Seirom was Mories backwards until Daniel noted it

I hadn't noticed that until I read your post right this second. Well well. I'm clearly not the most observant person in the world.

*Goes and reads all favourite bands backwards*

I wonder if him doing that was kinda symbolic in a way, because since it's so radically different from his other projects it's like saying "this one is an inversion of the others"
----
I am the Magician and the Exorcist. I am the axle of the wheel, and the cube in the circle. “Come unto me” is a foolish word: for it is I that go.

~ II. VII
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06.05.2014 - 18:44
!J.O.O.E.!
Account deleted
Written by Auntie Sahar on 06.05.2014 at 18:41

I wonder if him doing that was kinda symbolic in a way, because since it's so radically different from his other projects it's like saying "this one is an inversion of the others"

Sounds like a pretty reasonable hypothesis to me. Seirom definitely does stand out as the odd one of the pack.
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06.05.2014 - 18:53
Auntie Sahar
Drone Empress
Written by Guest on 06.05.2014 at 18:44

Seirom definitely does stand out as the odd one of the pack.

I talked to him about it at Roadburn, he more or less said that the GTT and COA songwriting drains him a lot both physically and mentally, so he needed something to channel more positive emotions to. And as an artist myself, I can completely understand that frame of mind.
----
I am the Magician and the Exorcist. I am the axle of the wheel, and the cube in the circle. “Come unto me” is a foolish word: for it is I that go.

~ II. VII
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06.05.2014 - 18:56
Rating: 8
X-Ray Rod
Skandino
Written by Auntie Sahar on 06.05.2014 at 18:41
I wonder if him doing that was kinda symbolic in a way, because since it's so radically different from his other projects it's like saying "this one is an inversion of the others"

Written by Guest on 06.05.2014 at 18:44
Sounds like a pretty reasonable hypothesis to me. Seirom definitely does stand out as the odd one of the pack.

Let's also add the fact that when I asked him about the title of Seirom's debut (1973). He just told me: Oh, that's my birthyear!
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Written by BloodTears on 19.08.2011 at 18:29
Like you could kiss my ass
Written by Milena on 20.06.2012 at 10:49
Rod, let me love you.
Loading...
06.05.2014 - 18:56
!J.O.O.E.!
Account deleted
Written by Auntie Sahar on 06.05.2014 at 18:53

I talked to him about it at Roadburn, he more or less said that the GTT and COA songwriting drains him a lot both physically and mentally, so he needed something to channel more positive emotions to. And as an artist myself, I can completely understand that frame of mind.

Well just listening to most of his stuff is quite physically demanding after a short amount of time so I imagine working with it, probably for hours on end, would definitely take its toll.
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09.05.2014 - 23:13
Rating: 8
mz

I listened to the last 4 CoA records (almost) in a row and this album is definitely my 2nd most favorite of them, behind none.
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Giving my ears a rest from music.
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10.06.2014 - 00:08
Lit.
Account deleted
Alright, alright... This may very well be the album that sends me into the world of Mories. Only on track 2 and hugely impressed.
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