The Altar – NKISI (2024) – Album Review

Album: The Altar

Artist: NKISI

Label: INITIATION

Release Date: June 21, 2024

Some music feels like it was written as a transmission, a voice from the other side. Whatever’s out there- past the satellites, beyond the last red blink of the Doppler shift – that’s where everything like this came from. I often feel like there’s a lot of music I don’t get – but that’s a lot of fun for me. Does one get a sunset or get the feeling of standing alone on a cold street when the wind shifts? Some things just are. Jupiter has been around for 4.6 billion years – it just IS. The Altar taps into that unfathomable immutability – beaming it directly into your meaty brain.

NKISI‘s music operates with precision. Each track builds tension through layered polyrhythms and sharp percussive elements that resist passive listening. Drums strike with clinical repetition. It sounds like they’re designing a space to hold you inside a particular emotional charge … if that makes sense. I guarantee that if you sit still, you’ll feel it pressing on your sternum. But don’t blame the music, blame your unresolved psychic energy. In that sense, there doesn’t seen to be a narrative for everyone and the symbolism is always up for interpretation – maybe it’s not something you’re ready for. But what’s not up for interpretation is the sonic architecture.

This another one of those albums where the review won’t do the album justice. This album is a short listen, but it’s one you won’t soon forget. Would definitely recommend.