Written By: Michael and Terri Gonzales
Chicago’s own Altered Perceptions are set to drop their major label debut, “From Rise To Ruins”, this upcoming Friday, October 28 via Artery Recordings. Although Altered Perceptions have released two prior albums, “From Rise To Ruins” defines and sets the standard for what Altered Perceptions are truly about and represent. Altered Perceptions are a breath of fresh air in an era littered with countless sub-genre titles as they essentially throw all of those labels and guidelines out the window and create their own version of heavy metal. There is a diverse blend of multiple metal genres that Altered Perceptions have beautifully fused into their own unique style providing a raw, gritty, one of a kind, and in your face sound.
Heavy is a bit of an understatement when describing “From Rise To Ruins”. The album’s intro track “Rise” starts off slowly with an ominous intro foreboding to the brutal musical onslaught that kicks in soon afterward as Altered Perceptions unleash their madness. Frontman Liam Borrowdale unleashes a plethora of low end screams and growls intertwined with frantic high pitched screams that are certainly not for the faint of heart. Guitarist Ryne Sahs lets loose with a technical fury on guitar alongside bassist Erik Stacy delivering deep and heavy banging rhythms. Drummer Jethro Tacuboy is an absolute madman on the drums serving up a nonstop barrage of thunderous beats. Everyone in Altered Perceptions blends their own styles together into a ridiculously heavy masterpiece.
“From Rise To Ruins” showcases the diverse range and originality that Altered Perceptions have embodied within their music. The album is full of some off the wall breakdowns that are heavier than hell. Altered Perceptions come in hard and heavy from the start, and they surely do not ease up one bit through to the end. Beyond the obvious heaviness “From Rise To Ruins” is an extremely well composed album with a multitude of technical and progressive riffs that fuse into melodic harmony, and are far more in depth than your run of the mill average metal album these days. Some of the stand out tracks on the album are “Rise”, “Luminescent”, “Sacrifice”. “Archives”, “Frequency” and a fantastic closing track “Ruin” with guest vocalist Alex Koehler of Chelsea Grin ending things full circle on the album and even tying the ominous intro riff back into the outro.
Altered Perceptions are headed in a great direction musically with an amazing major label debut that embodies the essence of the band. “From Rise To Ruins” is an essential for a variety of heavy music fans. Even the average screamo fan should be able to appreciate the true heaviness Altered Perceptions have to offer in comparison to the cookie cutter nonsense constantly flooding the market. As it was previously stated Altered Perceptions are without a doubt a breath of fresh air creatively and musically. It is not something that can often be said these days in regards to new music. Altered Perceptions prove there is still plenty of room to be creative and original. “From Rise To Ruins” is out this Friday, October 28 on Artery Recordings and will certainly blow you away. Be sure to pre-order a copy while you still can, and follow Altered Perceptions on their social media sites to stay up-to-date with their latest news, tour announcements, and more.
