{"id":1,"date":"2025-05-21T03:53:14","date_gmt":"2025-05-21T03:53:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/altarsofaether.com\/?p=1"},"modified":"2025-05-21T05:00:46","modified_gmt":"2025-05-21T05:00:46","slug":"press-release","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/altarsofaether.com\/index.php\/2025\/05\/21\/press-release\/","title":{"rendered":"May 20 2025 Press Release"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>ALTARS OF AETHER ANNOUNCES DEBUT ALBUM <em>SKY BURIAL HYMNS<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>An Ethereal Fusion of Doom, Ritual, and Elemental Soundscapes \u2013 Produced by Riffuge Studios &amp; Backed by PryBirds Collective<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Denver, CO \u2014 [May 20th 2025]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">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, <em>Sky Burial Hymns<\/em>. 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The album is now available on major platforms including <a href=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/artist\/6FgbS46kEnHxqZvyz9Qpd8g\">Spotify<\/a>, and the official visual experience is unfolding through their <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@AltarsofAether\">YouTube Channel<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>An Offering of Sound and Soul<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Sky Burial Hymns<\/em> is not merely an album\u2014it 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\u2019s wilderness, the band paints in tones of reverb-heavy guitar textures, glacial percussion, blackened doom, and ambient drone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">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 &#8220;etherial ritual doom.&#8221; Their sound is meditative yet menacing, primal yet transcendent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The band recorded the album in collaboration with <strong>Riffuge Studios<\/strong>\u2014the 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: <strong>Riffuge North<\/strong>, 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 <strong>The PryBirds<\/strong>, whose members quickly became spiritual kin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThey walked into the studio during our second session, barefoot and humming harmonics,\u201d says drummer Jonah \u201cBreaker\u201d Knox. \u201cWe knew instantly\u2014they were family. They got it. They felt it in their blood too.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Tracklist Highlights &amp; Tales from the Studio<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Each track on <em>Sky Burial Hymns<\/em> represents a sacred landscape or rite. Some highlights include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>\u201cWounds of Resin\u201d<\/strong>: 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.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>\u201cRain Dance for the Hollowed\u201d<\/strong>: Featuring chaotic drumming and layered chants, this primal track was recorded in near-darkness, while a storm rolled over Denver. \u201cWe were all barefoot in mud and wires,\u201d recalls sound engineer Camden \u201cCircuit\u201d Vale. \u201cLightning hit the transformer down the street. We lost power on the final note. We kept the take.\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>\u201cHollowed Peaks\u201d<\/strong>: Inspired by Tibetan sky burials and lone death in the wild, this blackened doom piece was recorded in one breathless live take, with Elias \u201cAsh\u201d Calder singing with tears streaming\u2014no overdubs.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>\u201cCairns Beneath the Pines\u201d<\/strong>: A slow-building, sorrow-soaked song rooted in alpine burial markers. It was recorded in two parts\u2014one during snowfall and one under a full moon, blending natural field recordings from the band\u2019s hikes.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Meet the Altars<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Elias &#8220;Ash&#8221; Calder<\/strong> <em>(Lead vocals, rhythm guitar)<\/em> \u2014 Ritualist frontman whose voice flickers from ember-soft to eruption. Known for his barefoot performances and trance-like intensity.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Morgan &#8220;The Hollow&#8221; Bellamy<\/strong> <em>(Lead guitar)<\/em> \u2014 Ethereal shredder who channels ghostlike melodies. Their solos are known to \u201cecho through the hollow,\u201d leaving rooms breathless.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Jonah &#8220;Breaker&#8221; Knox<\/strong> <em>(Drums)<\/em> \u2014 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.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Sera &#8220;Stone&#8221; Lucine<\/strong> <em>(Bass)<\/em> \u2014 The grounding force of the band. Stoic, immoveable, and emotionally resonant. Her lines carry grief and resolve like carved granite.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Behind the sound lies <strong>Circuit<\/strong> (Camden Vale), the sonic druid\u2014building the ambient field recordings and drones that haunt each track. Supporting the road rituals is <strong>Bones<\/strong> (Kendra Alvarez), the lightning-fast guitar tech with a heart of fire and toolbox of chaos.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>A Spiritual Production<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Producer Sam Nolan Carter of <strong>Riffuge Studios<\/strong> called the sessions \u201cone of the most spiritual projects I\u2019ve worked on.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe didn\u2019t just mic instruments,\u201d Ryland said. \u201cWe mic\u2019d pine trees. Bones cracking. Water freezing. Fire crackling. We chased meaning. It was a spiritual exorcism recorded to tape.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The idea of <em>Sky Burial Hymns<\/em> was born during a dusk hike in Bear Creek Canyon, where Elias sketched the first lyrics to \u201cHollow Peaks, Echoed Names\u201d in a soggy journal. The themes grew organically\u2014death, memory, release, and communion with the elements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Each member fasted before sessions. Meditation and silence preceded takes. Candles were lit. Stones were placed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt was never about making a record,\u201d says Morgan. \u201cIt was about honoring something older than us.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>A Kindred Partnership \u2013 The PryBirds &amp; Riffuge<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When Dallas\u2019 <strong>Riffuge Studios<\/strong> and local metalheads <strong>The PryBirds<\/strong> joined forces to establish <strong>Riffuge North<\/strong> in Denver, the mission was clear: support the kind of music that speaks to the bone and the wind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Altars of Aether was the first full project in the new space\u2014marking a beautiful beginning. PryBirds members collaborated on a few drone layers and harmony vocals in \u201cCall of the Mountains,\u201d an instrumental lament that floats with soft melancholy and returns with defiant beauty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThey were supposed to stop by for an hour,\u201d laughs Sera. \u201cThey stayed four days.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Where to Hear, Follow, and Book<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The album is available now on all major platforms:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Spotify<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/artist\/6FgbS46kEnHxqZvyz9Qpd8g\">Altars of Aether<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>YouTube<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@AltarsofAether\">Official Channel<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The band is now taking select booking inquiries for 2025 performances\u2014rituals both live and sacred. Inquiries may be directed to:<br><strong><a href=\"mailto:bookings@altarsofAether.com\">bookings@altarsofAether.com<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Final Words from Ash<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe don\u2019t want to sell you something,\u201d says Elias. \u201cWe want to invite you into something. This record is a door. If you feel the wind call you in, you\u2019re already part of it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u2014<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>For media inquiries, booking, and interviews:<\/strong><br><strong><a href=\"mailto:bookings@altarsofAether.com\">bookings@altarsofAether.com<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Riffuge Studios:<\/strong> <a href=\"http:\/\/grrband.com\/\">grrband.com<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Sky Burial Hymns<\/em> is more than music\u2014it\u2019s a mourning, a memory, a homecoming.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Listen. Remember. Return.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/altarsofaether.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/alters-copy-2-1024x1024.jpg\" alt=\"Album Cover for Altars of Aether album - Sky Burial Hymns\" class=\"wp-image-20\" srcset=\"https:\/\/altarsofaether.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/alters-copy-2-1024x1024.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/altarsofaether.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/alters-copy-2-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/altarsofaether.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/alters-copy-2-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/altarsofaether.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/alters-copy-2-768x768.jpg 768w, https:\/\/altarsofaether.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/alters-copy-2-1536x1536.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/altarsofaether.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/alters-copy-2-2048x2048.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE ALTARS OF AETHER ANNOUNCES DEBUT ALBUM SKY BURIAL HYMNS An Ethereal Fusion of Doom, Ritual, and Elemental Soundscapes \u2013 Produced by Riffuge Studios &amp; Backed by PryBirds Collective Denver, CO \u2014 [May 20th 2025] Altars of Aether, a four-piece post-metal ritual ensemble emerging from the alpine shadowlands of Colorado, is proud to [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":20,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/altarsofaether.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/altarsofaether.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/altarsofaether.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/altarsofaether.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/altarsofaether.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/altarsofaether.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":22,"href":"https:\/\/altarsofaether.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1\/revisions\/22"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/altarsofaether.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/20"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/altarsofaether.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/altarsofaether.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/altarsofaether.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}