FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
ALTARS OF AETHER ANNOUNCES DEBUT ALBUM SKY BURIAL HYMNS
An Ethereal Fusion of Doom, Ritual, and Elemental Soundscapes – Produced by Riffuge Studios & Backed by PryBirds Collective
Denver, CO — [May 20th 2025]
Altars of Aether, a four-piece post-metal ritual ensemble emerging from the alpine shadowlands of Colorado, is proud to announce the release of their long-awaited debut full-length album, Sky Burial Hymns. Forged in the high-altitude hush between ancient pine and modern pain, the album is a haunting invocation of grief, transcendence, and reconnection with the raw, weatherworn cycles of the natural world.
The album is now available on major platforms including Spotify, and the official visual experience is unfolding through their YouTube Channel.
An Offering of Sound and Soul
Sky Burial Hymns is not merely an album—it is a ceremonial soundscape. Each track is crafted as a rite, a sonic offering, a funeral pyre of harmonic ash and wind-carried lamentations. Drawing inspiration from the hollowed peaks, stone cairns, and scorched rain rites of Colorado’s wilderness, the band paints in tones of reverb-heavy guitar textures, glacial percussion, blackened doom, and ambient drone.
With sonic footprints echoing legends like Amenra, Pallbearer, Agalloch, and early Opeth, Altars of Aether blends atmospheric sludge, ambient doom, and ritualistic post-metal into a unique synthesis they call “etherial ritual doom.” Their sound is meditative yet menacing, primal yet transcendent.
The band recorded the album in collaboration with Riffuge Studios—the acclaimed Dallas-based underground production house responsible for capturing the sacred and profane alike in audio form. Through that creative bond, a second sanctuary was born: Riffuge North, a new Denver-based recording space dedicated to experimental and emotionally raw projects. The expansion was made possible by a partnership with fellow mystic-leaning post-rockers The PryBirds, whose members quickly became spiritual kin.
“They walked into the studio during our second session, barefoot and humming harmonics,” says drummer Jonah “Breaker” Knox. “We knew instantly—they were family. They got it. They felt it in their blood too.”
Tracklist Highlights & Tales from the Studio
Each track on Sky Burial Hymns represents a sacred landscape or rite. Some highlights include:
- “Wounds of Resin”: A meditation on burned forests and the rituals lost within them. Its layered clean vocals and roars, set to slow-grieving riffs, brought both crew and band to tears after a 3 a.m. final take.
- “Rain Dance for the Hollowed”: Featuring chaotic drumming and layered chants, this primal track was recorded in near-darkness, while a storm rolled over Denver. “We were all barefoot in mud and wires,” recalls sound engineer Camden “Circuit” Vale. “Lightning hit the transformer down the street. We lost power on the final note. We kept the take.”
- “Hollowed Peaks”: Inspired by Tibetan sky burials and lone death in the wild, this blackened doom piece was recorded in one breathless live take, with Elias “Ash” Calder singing with tears streaming—no overdubs.
- “Cairns Beneath the Pines”: A slow-building, sorrow-soaked song rooted in alpine burial markers. It was recorded in two parts—one during snowfall and one under a full moon, blending natural field recordings from the band’s hikes.
Meet the Altars
- Elias “Ash” Calder (Lead vocals, rhythm guitar) — Ritualist frontman whose voice flickers from ember-soft to eruption. Known for his barefoot performances and trance-like intensity.
- Morgan “The Hollow” Bellamy (Lead guitar) — Ethereal shredder who channels ghostlike melodies. Their solos are known to “echo through the hollow,” leaving rooms breathless.
- Jonah “Breaker” Knox (Drums) — Thunderous and elemental, Jonah is as likely to break drumsticks as he is to break open emotional ground. His tree tattoo and punishing double kicks have become legend.
- Sera “Stone” Lucine (Bass) — The grounding force of the band. Stoic, immoveable, and emotionally resonant. Her lines carry grief and resolve like carved granite.
Behind the sound lies Circuit (Camden Vale), the sonic druid—building the ambient field recordings and drones that haunt each track. Supporting the road rituals is Bones (Kendra Alvarez), the lightning-fast guitar tech with a heart of fire and toolbox of chaos.
A Spiritual Production
Producer Sam Nolan Carter of Riffuge Studios called the sessions “one of the most spiritual projects I’ve worked on.”
“We didn’t just mic instruments,” Ryland said. “We mic’d pine trees. Bones cracking. Water freezing. Fire crackling. We chased meaning. It was a spiritual exorcism recorded to tape.”
The idea of Sky Burial Hymns was born during a dusk hike in Bear Creek Canyon, where Elias sketched the first lyrics to “Hollow Peaks, Echoed Names” in a soggy journal. The themes grew organically—death, memory, release, and communion with the elements.
Each member fasted before sessions. Meditation and silence preceded takes. Candles were lit. Stones were placed.
“It was never about making a record,” says Morgan. “It was about honoring something older than us.”
A Kindred Partnership – The PryBirds & Riffuge
When Dallas’ Riffuge Studios and local metalheads The PryBirds joined forces to establish Riffuge North in Denver, the mission was clear: support the kind of music that speaks to the bone and the wind.
Altars of Aether was the first full project in the new space—marking a beautiful beginning. PryBirds members collaborated on a few drone layers and harmony vocals in “Call of the Mountains,” an instrumental lament that floats with soft melancholy and returns with defiant beauty.
“They were supposed to stop by for an hour,” laughs Sera. “They stayed four days.”
Where to Hear, Follow, and Book
The album is available now on all major platforms:
- Spotify: Altars of Aether
- YouTube: Official Channel
The band is now taking select booking inquiries for 2025 performances—rituals both live and sacred. Inquiries may be directed to:
bookings@altarsofAether.com
Final Words from Ash
“We don’t want to sell you something,” says Elias. “We want to invite you into something. This record is a door. If you feel the wind call you in, you’re already part of it.”
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For media inquiries, booking, and interviews:
bookings@altarsofAether.com
Riffuge Studios: grrband.com
Sky Burial Hymns is more than music—it’s a mourning, a memory, a homecoming.
Listen. Remember. Return.
