Altar De Fey, Basha, Acid Reality Casualty Test

Altar de Fey formed in San Francisco in early 1983, combining the aggression of their punk roots with guitarist Kent Cates’ melodic and moody approach. The group released a handful of tracks before disbanding two years later. Despite their short run, their legacy lingered, largely due to the rediscovery by young goths of their distinct and jarring deathrock look: backcombed knots of birds nest hair, deathly pallors, and ripped fishnet tights that clung to them like spiderwebs. Images of Cates with guitar in hand, black-lined eyes, and carved-out cheekbones, caused a frenzy of reblogging amongst scene aficionados, eventually summoning the band back from the grave.

With its funereal atmosphere and demanding drumbeat, the opening track on Echoes, “I See Demons,” summons spirits of the past, while the raw and energetic “Right to the Point” and  “Veil of Death” align themselves perfectly alongside Christian Death’s 1982 classic Only Theatre of Pain. Despite a three-decade hiatus, Altar de Fey have managed to create a pure deathrock album with a sound that is both hauntingly exquisite and theatrical to the bone—proving the scene is truly undead. We spoke with Cates about the group’s return to music, the importance of aesthetics, and the promise of deathrock’s future.

8PM / $5

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