Alas

After more than seven years in the making, the debut release from Alas (featuring Eric Rutan, of Morbid Angel fame) finally sees the light of day. Absolute Purity is truly Rutan's baby, as he composed and wrote all of the material for this atmospheric progressive release, which is truly nothing like his full-time band. Unlike Morbid Angel, there are absolutely no blast-beats or down-tuned guitars to be found anywhere within. Instead, this is atmospheric and dreamy. Featuring Therion's Martina Astner on vocals, this mid-paced affair moves along quite nicely with loads of keyboards and harmonised guitar helping to create a nice change of pace from Eric's day job.