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Pagan Altar the obscurest of the obscure, a classic reflection of British media hypes in the early 80’s. It is now common knowledge that like many other good Heavy Rock bands of that period, Pagan Altar were simply ignored by the established music press. They, in their supposed coverage of the British Heavy scene, tended to concentrate on the more lightweight, socially acceptable “Poseur” Bands that they assumed, in their ignorance, were more popular. They probably considered Pagan Altar and their like to be unfashionable and not to their own, or the majority of their readers personal tastes. Much talent was lost in this way and it was only the advent of the Internet that has brought many bands like Pagan Altar to light. I suppose to put the blame solely on the shoulders of these cretins would possibly be giving them undeserved credence, but at the time, publicity from whatever quarter was necessary to progress.
Pagan Altar were true underground, but in being so, their music has survived to resurface and be given a new lease of life in this new millennium, almost twenty years later. The Internet, with its far-reaching tentacles, has given a new and far larger audience the freedom of choice to judge for themselves the qualities or frailties of individual bands.

The Invocation (Tramshed 1983)

Pagan Altar was an extremely good live band, bringing theatre, atmosphere, power and a presence that was at times awesome.
The use of a high draped Altar topped with a large inverted cross, skulls, black candles etc, overlooked by the Sorcerers head and flanked by Marshall stacks made an imposing back drop. The cloak clad figures emerging from the mist to the accompaniment of a Gregorian chant was pure theatre and what a great way to get on stage!
Inexplicably no major recording company came forward to sign them and it still rankles with me, a comparative outsider, that no one had the foresight to see the lasting potential within the band and their music.