Pagan Altar - The Time Lord

This re-release (originally available in 2004) is of some rare, perhaps the earliest Pagan Altar recordings that date back to 1978/79. Now re-released with different artwork (depicting Melrose Abbey in Scotland, a claimed burial place of 13^th Century wizard Michael Scott aka “The Time Lord”) the opening track ‘Highway Cavalier’ takes you on a development journey of the band. Whilst later material would become individual to Pagan Altar alone by way of the guitar tone and the vocal style of Terry Jones, this first track is more what I would call run of the mill, a different starting point for this legendary UK band. ‘The Time Lord’ picks out more of the current Pagan Altar sound, more that which would appear on their first official album criminally delayed until 1998. However, the sound is still clearly in development, you start to hear the haunting occult sound that you know and love on the third opus ‘Judgement of the Dead’. This mix is different but this still retains a perfect sense of mysticism that the band has been known for after so many years.

This EP essentially shows the Pagan Altar starting point, the development of a very unique sound and style, I cannot say that I have heard a voice like Terry Jones’ before nor a guitar tone that is similar to that of Alan Jones, the original founding family members of this great British institution. No doubt you would have heard this EP, but now it’s re-release will find it easier to obtain and will hopefully stop these stupid auction site prices people seem to pay.

‘The Time Lord’ is Pagan Altar’s humble beginnings, it is a sign of things to come, the sound is vintage, authentic and a little more folk/blues in delivery than later mixes of well-known tracks that also feature here, it’s certainly a damn fine release.