“Death of the Altar” Single by Of Virtue Review
Cover Photo By: Alex BemisMichigan-based Metalcore band Of Virtue is bringing us new bangers before January even ended, which was not in my bingo card. Just a few years after dropping their album, OMEN, they have released a brand new single, and it’s definitely been on repeat for me.
Vocalist and drummer Damon Tate has shared that they’re excited for this return of new music and what they have in store for their fans. “Death of the Altar” is a metaphor about chasing ephemeral moments just to grab a feeling of belonging in this world while sacrificing things like one’s own mental health. The band has reflected on the past few years and the silence between their previous release and this brand new one. This hard-hitting track leans into emotional intensity about sacrificing and liberation, fighting for yourself without giving up your own narration for another.
These deeper cut meanings for songs are everything I live for, literally and metaphorically. I know what it's like to compromise your own self until you become unrecognizable because the pull of “fitting in” with a crowd or a relationship feels more important. Never let another control who you are because, by remaining true to what you stand for, your people will come. Society makes us think we need to be “accepted” and “approved” to be COOL, but then you become someone else, not yourself, someone molded.
This song has a dark beauty in the way they sing, “death of the altar,” contrasting with the clarity in the overall production, and it creates this goosebump feeling when it’s introduced, which I love. Raspiness and heavy riffs truly make a song just catchy, filling in the dramatics for the song and its meaning.
“Death of the Altar” is just the start for this new chapter that Of Virtue is about to take us on, so you'd better hold onto your hatches. Reclaim YOUR life and get ready because more news is coming soon. I smell a new album and maybe even a tour?
