Artist: Hexenaltar
Country: Poland
Label: Godz Ov War Productions
Formats: LP / Cassette Tape / CD
Year: 2026
Founded in 2021, the Polish band known as Hexenaltar got off to a flying start. This resulted in two EPs and a split cassette tape in 2022, involving labels such as Destruktion Records and Godz Ov War. However, things then went quiet around this young Black/Thrash Metal band. That silence was broken in late spring 2026 with the release of their debut album, ‘Descending Curse’.
Despite the more than three and a half years that have passed between the ‘Bestial Damnation’ EP and this debut, Hexenaltar’s formula hasn’t changed much. Both musically and in terms of visual design, everything has remained the same. Once again, the music is presented in an unattractive cover (by Juanjo Castellano); the 80s/90s cartoon-like style does not do the music justice and seems more like a parody than the work of a serious band.
And that’s a shame, because the music has real potential. Although I should also note that they haven’t quite nailed it on ‘Descending Curse’. You can clearly hear that these guys know what they’re doing with their instruments, and the individual songs are solidly put together. However, the album rushes by without any real highlights, and all the songs sound very similar to one another. The lack of originality isn’t the problem, but the slightly too homogeneous composition makes the album feel more like one long song of (almost) half an hour. What certainly doesn’t help is the sound, which is produced a bit too neatly. It seems as though the production team was a little too enthusiastic and has sanded down absolutely every sharp and rough edge.
As a result, your attention quickly wanders in all directions, and ‘Descending Curse’ degenerates into background music. Again, it’s a real shame, because it’s clear that these young guys have some good ideas. The potential is there, but it hasn’t quite come through yet. Perhaps this debut album came out just a little too soon…
