PAGAN ALTAR - UK

Volume 1 - 1998 - Oracle
Lords Of Hypocrisy - 2004 - Oracle/The Miskatonic Foundation
Judgement Of The Dead - 2005 - Black Widow
Mythical & Magical - 2006 - Oracle/The Miskatonic Foundation
The Room Of Shadows - 2017 - Temple Of Mystery
Never Quite Dead - 2025 - Dying Victims

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Members
Vocals
Liquid Gas, Hydra, Uninvited Guest>>Terry Jones>>Uninvited Guest - Torture Chain, Mind Eraser, Stone Dagger, Battle Ruins, Battering Ram, Nachtstille, Magic Circle, Savage Oath, Sumerlands>>BRENDAN RADIGAN>>Torture Chain, Mind Eraser, Stone Dagger, Battle Ruins, Battering Ram, Nachtstille, Magic Circle, Savage Oath, Sumerlands

Guitar
Liquid Gas, Hydra, Iceni, Uninvited Guest, XYZ, Malac's Cross>>ALAN JONES>>Iceni, Uninvited Guest, XYZ, Malac's Cross

Bass
Trevor Portch>>The Goon Squad - Phoenix, Voice Of Destruction, Raven Wolf, Demoniac, DragonHeart, DragonForce, Lucifer, Solstice>>DICCON HARPER>>Lucifer

Drum
John Mizrahi - Mark Elliot - Bloodstone, Moon Chamber, Solo>>ANDY GREEN>>Moon Chamber, Solo




History & Biography
NWOBHM heavy rock band Pagan Altar was founded in London, England in 1978. The act betrayed a Rainbow influence on guitar and Uriah Heep and Jethro Tull vocally. Early bassist was Glenn Robinson. Early drummer was Ivor T. Harper. He would be in Malac’s Cross with Alan Jones (and Alan's sister) later. Second guitarists were Ron Neary and Les Moody. The initial idea was to name the band Pagan, but deciding that it did not have the desired effect and being inspired by Avebury or Stonehenge, Pagan Altar was picked instead. Despite the long hiatus, three-dozen musicians have come and gone. The band had a spurt in 1985, but officially quit in 1986 before the traditional return, which happened in 2004 in this case. The band's first incarnation managed a self-titled demo in 1982. The band consisted of singer Terry Jones (who died of cancer in 2015), his son and guitarist Alan Jones, bassist Trevor Portch and drummer John Mizrahi (an Israeli soldier). The last man - who had replaced Mark Elliot who would rejoin in 2004 - was with the act for a year only and disappeared in 1983. Alan Jones and Terry Jones were previously in a band called Liquid Gas. The act prided itself on its theatrical stage presence, which included an altar, burning Kyphi, a coffin with smoke coming out of it, skulls and a large inverted cross. It was meant to project the image of a Satanic church. The group gave regular concerts. The band even had her own tastefully decorated lorry with a coffin on top called Pagan-Mobile.

An 'album' version of the same was issued by the band's Oracle imprint upon reformation in 1998. It was called Volume 1. The original recording session had transpired with three members having the flu. A 2004 EP was called The Time Lord and contained early demo material. There was more old material on Lords Of Hypocrisy (initially advertised as 'The Lords Of Hypocrisy'), but some of it was newly re-recorded. Yet more demo material appeared on Judgement Of The Dead and Mythical & Magical. Former Napalm Death live guitarist Richard M. Walker joined in 2007 and stayed for two years. This man ran the The Miskatonic Foundation label, which would rerelease two Pagan Altar albums on vinyl. Jex Thoth and Pagan Altar shared a single next. Pagan Altar's demo material went all the way back to the 1970s. Pagan Altar co-headlined the Metal Brew Festival in Mill Hill, alongside Cloven Hoof, in 2008. Both bands also performed at the British Steel IV Festival in London in 2009. Pagan Altar headlined the British Steel V Festival in April of 2011 followed by Live Evil Festival in October.

The Room Of Shadows was a release after Terry Jones' death. With his death Alan Jones rerecorded some of the material. Lucifer's German bassist Dino Gollnick came and went in 2015. His immediate replacement was Pagan Altar’s Diccon Harper. The act appeared at the Hammer Of Doom show in 2017. The Story Of Pagan Altar was a 2021 compilation. Britain-based doom metal band Pagan Altar had an album, entitled Never Quite Dead, through Dying Victims Productions on 25.04.2025. The band uploaded a song called The Dead's Last March. The singer here was Brendan Radigan. The band was booked for Heavy Metal Thunder in the Czech Republic and Over The Wall Festival in Greece.

The Jones father and son were also in Uninvited Guest.


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