Photo: Bulgakoff ( talk ) 09:15, 1 February 2009 (UTC) · Public domain · credits
Tier 3 · vertical & regional
Pagan Altar
Group · United Kingdom · Brockley · formed 1978
British heavy metal band
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Listen on SpotifyYouTube Music
Also known as 異教聖壇
Timeline
57 events+ Member joins 27− Member leaves 23▣ Album 5◆ Formed 1★ Debut release 1
1970s
· Member joins
Alan Jones joins the band
guitar,original
source: musicbrainz
· Member joins
Glenn Robinson joins the band
bass guitar
source: musicbrainz
· Member joins
Ivor Harper joins the band
membranophone
source: musicbrainz
· Member joins
Les Moody joins the band
guitar
source: musicbrainz
· Member joins
Terry Jones joins the band
lead vocals,original
source: musicbrainz
1980s
· Member leaves
Ivor Harper leaves the band
membranophone
source: musicbrainz
· Member leaves
Les Moody leaves the band
guitar
source: musicbrainz
· Member joins
Mark Elliot joins the band
membranophone
source: musicbrainz
· Member joins
Steven Toby Moore joins the band
membranophone
source: musicbrainz
· Member leaves
Steven Toby Moore leaves the band
membranophone
source: musicbrainz
· Member leaves
Mark Elliot leaves the band
membranophone
source: musicbrainz
· Member leaves
Glenn Robinson leaves the band
bass guitar
source: musicbrainz
· Member joins
Greg Williams joins the band
bass guitar
source: musicbrainz
· Member leaves
Greg Williams leaves the band
bass guitar
source: musicbrainz
· Member joins
John Mizrahi joins the band
membranophone
source: musicbrainz
· Member joins
Trevor Portch joins the band
bass guitar
source: musicbrainz
· Debut release
Debut release: Pagan Altar
First documented EP in the MusicBrainz discography.
source: musicbrainz
· Member leaves
John Mizrahi leaves the band
membranophone
source: musicbrainz
· Member joins
Brian Cobbold joins the band
membranophone
source: musicbrainz
· Member leaves
Alan Jones leaves the band
guitar,original
source: musicbrainz
· Member leaves
Terry Jones leaves the band
lead vocals,original
source: musicbrainz
· Member leaves
Trevor Portch leaves the band
bass guitar
source: musicbrainz
· Member leaves
Brian Cobbold leaves the band
membranophone
source: musicbrainz
1990s
2000s
· Member joins
Alan Jones joins the band
guitar,original
source: musicbrainz
· Member joins
Mark Elliot joins the band
membranophone
source: musicbrainz
· Member joins
Terry Jones joins the band
lead vocals,original
source: musicbrainz
· Member joins
Trevor Portch joins the band
bass guitar
source: musicbrainz
· Member leaves
Trevor Portch leaves the band
bass guitar
source: musicbrainz
· Member joins
Peter Dobbins joins the band
membranophone
source: musicbrainz
· Member joins
Richard Walker joins the band
guitar
source: musicbrainz
· Member joins
Diccon Harper joins the band
bass guitar
source: musicbrainz
· Member leaves
Mark Elliot leaves the band
membranophone
source: musicbrainz
· Member leaves
Peter Dobbins leaves the band
membranophone
source: musicbrainz
· Member joins
Andrew Green joins the band
membranophone
source: musicbrainz
· Member leaves
Richard Walker leaves the band
guitar
source: musicbrainz
· Member leaves
Andrew Green leaves the band
membranophone
source: musicbrainz
· Member joins
Luke Hunter joins the band
guitar
source: musicbrainz
2010s
· Member joins
Russell McGuire joins the band
bass guitar
source: musicbrainz
· Member joins
Ian Winters joins the band
membranophone
source: musicbrainz
· Member joins
Dean Alexander joins the band
membranophone
source: musicbrainz
· Member leaves
Diccon Harper leaves the band
bass guitar
source: musicbrainz
· Member leaves
Ian Winters leaves the band
membranophone
source: musicbrainz
· Member joins
Marcus Cella joins the band
bass guitar
source: musicbrainz
· Member leaves
Russell McGuire leaves the band
bass guitar
source: musicbrainz
· Member joins
Manny Cooke joins the band
bass guitar
source: musicbrainz
· Member leaves
Marcus Cella leaves the band
bass guitar
source: musicbrainz
· Member leaves
Luke Hunter leaves the band
guitar
source: musicbrainz
· Member joins
Vince Hempstead joins the band
guitar
source: musicbrainz
· Member leaves
Manny Cooke leaves the band
bass guitar
source: musicbrainz
· Member joins
William Gallagher joins the band
bass guitar
source: musicbrainz
· Member leaves
Terry Jones leaves the band
lead vocals,original
source: musicbrainz
2020s
Biography
English biography460 words · 6 sectionssource: wikipedia-en · licence CC BY-SA 4.0 · revision 1353943621
Biography
Pagan Altar is an English heavy metal and doom metal band. It was formed by Terry Jones and his son Alan in 1978 in the borough of Brockley in London and was part of the new wave of British heavy metal (NWOBHM).
History
Pagan Altar's only release from the NWOBHM era was an independent, self-released, self-titled demo album (which was heavily bootlegged in later years). The album would be re-released as an official full-length on Oracle Records in 1998, retitled "Volume 1
Volume 1Spotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 7 tracks1Pagan Altar7:242In the Wake of Armadeus4:143Judgement of the Dead7:514The Black Mass5:205Night Rider4:116Acoustics1:377Reincarnation8:47".
The group reformed in 2004 to re-record an album of previously unreleased material which had been written during their original tenure as a band. The resulting album, "Lords of Hypocrisy
Lords of HypocrisySpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 9 tracks1The Lords of Hypocrisy5:372Satan's Henchmen3:093Sentinels of Hate7:134Armageddon10:405The Interlude4:136The Aftermath5:557The Masquerade6:528The Devil Came Down to Brockley1:119March of the Dead5:30", met with a positive reception from fans, and a third full-length album duly followed in 2006, entitled "Mythical and Magical".
In 2008, Pagan Altar co-headlined the "Metal Brew" Festival in Mill Hill, alongside Cloven Hoof. Both bands also performed at the "British Steel IV" Festival at the Camden Underworld in 2009. Pagan Altar returned to headline the "British Steel V" Festival in April 2011 and the "Live Evil" Festival in October 2011.
In 2012, Pagan Altar began work on their next album "Never Quite Dead
Never Quite DeadSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 8 tracks1Saints and Sinners4:122Liston Church5:543Madame M'Rachel4:054Madame M'Rachel's Grave4:015Well of Despair4:566The Dead's Last March4:267Westbury Express1:268Kismet9:12", in a purpose-built recording studio in the back garden of vocalist Terry Jones's home. The 2013 lineup included: Dean Alexander on drums, Vinny Konrad on 2nd guitar, and William Gallagher on bass guitar.
On 15 May 2015, vocalist Terry Jones died of cancer. The band had finished recording their upcoming album, which was in its final mastering stage. In 2017, Alan Jones announced that he intends to partially re-record the band's upcoming album as neither he nor the late Terry Jones were happy with the finished product.
In 2021, they released a compilation album of rehearsals from their earlier years titled The Story of Pagan Altar
The Story of Pagan AltarSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 11 tracks1Narcissus Complex3:312Going Nowhere4:203Toe the Line3:154Armadeus4:245The Black Mass5:436The Witches Pathway5:147The Aftermath5:098Moving On4:119Reincarnation7:1210Walking in the Dark4:0511Narcissus4:04.
'Never Quite Dead' was finally released on 25 April 2025. This was their first album with new singer, Brendan Radigan, who had been touring with the band for some time after Terry Jones passed.
Musical style
Alongside Witchfinder General, Pagan Altar is one of the few new wave of British heavy metal (NWOBHM) bands to play doom metal. The band's concerts are characterised by moody, epic and heavy music, blended with stage effects which accentuate their interest in occult themes.
Albums
Judgement of the Dead (1982)
Lords of Hypocrisy (2004)
Mythical and Magical (2006)
Room of Shadows (2017)
The Story of Pagan Altar (2021)
Never Quite Dead (2025)
EP
The Time Lord (2004, re-released as a special edition in 2012)
Singles
Pagan Altar – "Walking in the Dark
Walking in the DarkSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracksAWalking in the Dark4:02BNarcissus4:17" / Jex Thoth – "Stone Evil" (Split single, 2007)
Pagan Altar – "Portrait of Dorian Gray" / "Mirror of Deception" – "Beltaine's Joy" (Imperial Anthems split single, 2011)
"Walking in the Dark" / "Narcissus" (2013)
Discography & profile
Normalised profile
Percentiles are computed over every artist in the database, so a tier-3 artist can still sit in the 95th percentile on a single axis.
| Metric | Value | Percentile |
|---|---|---|
| Wikipedia language versions | 11 | 61.8th |
| Spotify monthly listeners | — | no data |
| Release groups in DB | 12 | 83.4th |
| Studio albums | 5 | 84.6th |
| Awards recorded | 0 | 0th |
| Timeline events | 57 | 99.1th |
| Recording span (years) | 43 | 83.8th |
| Genres | 5 | 88.3th |
Percentiles are computed at render time; missing values mean the artist has no data on that axis.
Discography (12 release groups · 5 studio albums)
Albums · 5
1998 · studio album
Search SpotifySearch YouTube Music
Tracklist · 7 tracks · 39:24
1Pagan Altar7:242In the Wake of Armadeus4:143Judgement of the Dead7:514The Black Mass5:205Night Rider4:116Acoustics1:377Reincarnation8:472004 · studio album
Search SpotifySearch YouTube Music
Tracklist · 9 tracks · 50:20
1The Lords of Hypocrisy5:372Satan's Henchmen3:093Sentinels of Hate7:134Armageddon10:405The Interlude4:136The Aftermath5:557The Masquerade6:528The Devil Came Down to Brockley1:119March of the Dead5:302006 · studio album
Search SpotifySearch YouTube Music
Tracklist · 12 tracks · 1:05:11
1Intro0:432Samhein5:303The Cry of the Banshee5:154The Crowman5:365Daemoni na Hoiche (Demons of the Night)5:146The Sorcerer7:407Flight of the Witch Queen4:108Dance of the Druids7:269The Erl King8:2210The Witches Pathway5:1311Sharnie1:2012The Rising of the Dark Lord8:422017 · studio album
Search SpotifySearch YouTube Music
Tracklist · 7 tracks · 46:59
1Rising of the Dead8:522The Portrait of Dorian Gray5:063Danse Macabre7:494Dance of the Vampires6:335The Room of Shadows6:306The Ripper10:367After Forever1:332025 · studio album
Search SpotifySearch YouTube Music
Tracklist · 8 tracks · 38:12
1Saints and Sinners4:122Liston Church5:543Madame M'Rachel4:054Madame M'Rachel's Grave4:015Well of Despair4:566The Dead's Last March4:267Westbury Express1:268Kismet9:12
EP · 2
| Cover | Year | Title | Notes | First release |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | Pagan AltarSearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 6 tracks · 37:261Pagan Altar7:20 2In the Wake of Armadeus4:11 3Night Rider4:07 4Judgement of the Dead7:46 5The Black Mass5:18 6Reincarnation8:44 | Demo | December 1982 | |
| 2004 | The Time LordSearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 5 tracks · 32:49A1Highway Cavalier2:46 A2The Time Lord8:10 A3Judgement of the Dead6:58 B1The Black Mass5:52 B2Reincarnation9:03 | 2004 |
Single · 3
| Cover | Year | Title | Notes | First release |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Jex Thoth / Pagan AltarSearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 2 tracks · 10:09AStone Evil6:07 BWalking in the Dark4:02 | 15 February 2008 | ||
| 2011 | Imperial AnthemsSearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 2 tracks · 10:38APortrait of Dorian Gray5:07 BBeltaine's Joy5:31 | 16 September 2011 | ||
| 2013 | Walking in the DarkSearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 2 tracks · 8:19AWalking in the Dark4:02 BNarcissus4:17 | 13 September 2013 |
Album · 2
| Cover | Year | Title | Notes | First release |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | The Story of Pagan AltarSearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 11 tracks · 51:081Narcissus Complex3:31 2Going Nowhere4:20 3Toe the Line3:15 4Armadeus4:24 5The Black Mass5:43 6The Witches Pathway5:14 7The Aftermath5:09 8Moving On4:11 9Reincarnation7:12 10Walking in the Dark4:05 11Narcissus4:04 | Compilation | 20 December 2021 | |
| 2024 | Never Quite DeadSearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 12 tracks · 1:13:331Lords of Hypocrisy5:03 2Flight of the Witch Queen4:47 3Judgement of the Dead7:16 4The Black Mass4:13 5Armageddon10:38 6The Aftermath5:32 7The Interlude4:27 8Reincarnation8:11 9The Erl King6:07 10March of the Dead4:21 11Kismet (Fate)8:56 12Moving (Change)4:02 | Live | 4 April 2024 |
Stats & PK
Percentile within all 23,672 published artists.Put Pagan Altar head-to-head →
| Metric | Value | Percentile |
|---|---|---|
| Wikipedia language versions | 11 | 61.8th |
| Spotify monthly listeners | — | no data |
| Release groups in DB | 12 | 83.4th |
| Studio albums | 5 | 84.6th |
| Awards recorded | 0 | 0th |
| Timeline events | 57 | 99.1th |
| Recording span (years) | 43 | 83.8th |
| Genres | 5 | 88.3th |
Awards & honours
Line-up
| Name | From | To | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alan Jones | 1978 | 1985 | guitar,original |
| Glenn Robinson | 1978 | 1982 | bass guitar |
| Ivor Harper | 1978 | 1980 | membranophone |
| Les Moody | 1978 | 1980 | guitar |
| Terry Jones | 1978 | 1985 | lead vocals,original |
| Mark Elliot | 1980 | 1981 | membranophone |
| Steven Toby Moore | 1980 | 1980 | membranophone |
| Greg Williams | 1982 | 1982 | bass guitar |
| John Mizrahi | 1982 | 1983 | membranophone |
| Trevor Portch | 1982 | 1985 | bass guitar |
| Brian Cobbold | 1984 | 1985 | membranophone |
| Alan Jones | 2004 | present | guitar,original |
| Mark Elliot | 2004 | March 2007 | membranophone |
| Terry Jones | 2004 | 15 May 2015 | lead vocals,original |
| Trevor Portch | 2004 | 2006 | bass guitar |
| Peter Dobbins | 2007 | November 2007 | membranophone |
| Richard Walker | 2007 | 2009 | guitar |
| Diccon Harper | February 2007 | August 2010 | bass guitar |
| Andrew Green | January 2008 | January 2009 | membranophone |
| Luke Hunter | September 2009 | June 2011 | guitar |
| Russell McGuire | 2010 | 2011 | bass guitar |
| Ian Winters | February 2010 | August 2010 | membranophone |
| Dean Alexander | July 2010 | present | membranophone |
| Marcus Cella | November 2010 | April 2011 | bass guitar |
| Manny Cooke | 2011 | 2012 | bass guitar |
| Vince Hempstead | July 2011 | present | guitar |
| William Gallagher | March 2012 | present | bass guitar |
| Matt Young | — | present | guitar |
| Ron Neary | — | present | guitar |
Where this record comes from
portrait—Wikimedia Commons · Public domain · retrieved 11 October 2026
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pagan_Altar.jpgaliases/urls—musicbrainz · CC0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://musicbrainz.org/artist/8162d8d3-ae45-4550-87f1-fa1262166e8adiscography—musicbrainz · CC0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://musicbrainz.org/artist/8162d8d3-ae45-4550-87f1-fa1262166e8acore—wikidata · CC0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7124160genre—wikidata · CC0 · retrieved 11 October 2026
https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7124160seed-list—wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pagan_Altarbiography—wikipedia-en · CC BY-SA 4.0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pagan_Altar
Why this artist is in the database
- List of heavy metal bands — rank #190
Pagan Altar | United Kingdom | 1978–1982, 2004–present |
Tier rule: curated genre/region list
Image: Bulgakoff ( talk ) 09:15, 1 February 2009 (UTC) · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
Wikidata: Q7124160 · MusicBrainz: 8162d8d3-ae45-4550-87f1-fa1262166e8a
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