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CARTILAGE Enters a Bloody Conceptual Realm with New Album “Operating Altar”
New Album “Operating Altar”
San Francisco-based gore metal outfit CARTILAGE are preparing to return with their third studio album, “Operating Altar.” With their upcoming release through Everlasting Spew Records, the band steps into a darker, faster, and more narrative-driven musical world. The album is set to arrive on September 11th in CD, cassette, and digital formats.
Following a four-year wait and the brief preview offered through their 2025 EP “Tales From The Entrails,” the new record stands out as CARTILAGE’s most ambitious work to date. “Operating Altar” marks the band’s first concept album, building its story around the dark world of a surgeon who continues his horrific experiments at a fictional location known as St. Petersen’s University Hospital.
Throughout the album, CARTILAGE preserve their trademark savage death metal approach while expanding their musical boundaries. The band combines the crushing intensity of brutal death metal with classic heavy metal influences, creating a more dynamic and aggressive sound. The harsh vocal performances of Mark Wallace and Teresa Flory further enhance the album’s disturbing atmosphere, while the guitar work stands out with high-speed riffs and technical intricacies.
“Operating Altar” was recorded and mixed by Scott Evans, known for his work with acts such as Neurosis, Exhumed, and Autopsy, while the mastering was handled by Leon del Muerte. The album artwork was created by David Romero, recognized for his Cinemamind work.
In a statement about the new album, guitarist Michael Flory explained that the band approached the record as one cohesive piece rather than a collection of separate songs. Flory stated that they pushed themselves toward speeds they had never attempted before while combining brutal death metal and classic heavy metal influences within their own distinctive style.
The album’s first single and title track, “The Operating Altar,” has already begun drawing attention. The song received an exclusive premiere through No Clean Singing and has been described as one of the band’s most ambitious compositions, standing out with its blistering pace, technical structure, and chaotic atmosphere.
The track listing for “Operating Altar” is as follows:
Metal, Bone And Sinew
S.C.D. (Sudden Cardiac Death)
The Autopsy: A Surgical Sonata
The Sanguine Fiend
A Lymphatic Labyrinth Of Roiling Rot
Among The Offal
Anatomical Incantations
The Operating Altar
Stitch By Stitch
CARTILAGE will also hit the road following the album’s release. In September 2026, the band will embark on an extensive Western United States tour alongside Washington D.C.-based Goetia, with Degraved and Unidad Trauma also joining the run. The tour will mark one of the most expansive routes the band has undertaken to date.
“Operating Altar” represents the beginning of a new chapter for CARTILAGE, as the band preserves its gore metal roots while moving toward a broader, darker, and more ambitious form of storytelling.
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