Altar of Plagues
| Company type | Musical group |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 2006 |
| Founder | James Kelly |
| Defunct | 2013 |
| Headquarters | Cork , Ireland |
| Products | Music albums, demos, EPs |
Altar of Plagues was a black metal ensemble originating from Cork, Ireland, formed by James Kelly. The group initially attracted notice through self-produced demos and EPs before launching their first full-length album, White Tomb, in April 2009 via Profound Lore Records. After experiencing changes in personnel and undertaking extensive tours, they secured a contract with Candlelight Records in January 2010. Their sophomore release, Mammal (2011), came with distinct cover art variations tailored for the US/Canada market and others, accompanied by a European headline tour and appearances at US festivals such as the Hopscotch Music Festival.
Their third studio effort, Teethed Glory and Injury (2013), earned widespread critical praise, achieving the #3 spot on Anthony Fantano's Needle Drop "Top-50 Albums of 2013" list and ranking #56 on his "Top 200 Albums of the 2010s." Additionally, Terrorizer placed it at #2 in their "50 Albums of the Year 2013."
On 15 June 2013, the band announced their disbandment, culminating with a final show at Poland’s Unsound Festival in October. They briefly reunited in early 2015 for several performances before conducting a concluding European tour alongside fellow Irish band Malthusian. Their ultimate live appearance took place at the Damnation Festival 2015. Following the group's dissolution, James Kelly continued releasing music under the name Wife, while drummer Johnny King joined the doom metal act Conan.
Members
- Last lineup
- James Kelly – guitar, vocals, keyboards, drums
- Johnny King – drums
- Former members
- Dave Condon – bass, vocals
- Bryan O'Sullivan – guitar
- Jeremiah Spillane – guitar
- Touring musicians
- Stavros Giannopoulos – guitar
- Joe Noel – bass
- Timeline
Studio albums
- White Tomb (2009)
- Mammal (2011)
- Teethed Glory and Injury (2013)
Demos and EPs
- First Plague (2006)
- Through the Cracks of the Earth (2007)
- Sol (2008)
- Tides (2010)
- Split release with Year of No Light (2011)