Country: Greece
Genre: Black metal
Full length: Macabre Ritual
Format: Digital
Label: Theogonia Records (Poland)
Release date: August 4, 2023
Immerse yourself in the echoes of another ancient pagan world where all is chaos and nothing is sacred. Where the present is all but forgotten and the hidden is revealed. On this journey into unwritten history, however, there is no going back.
Greece, a country renowned conveying its past through art, poetry, drama, mythology, and music is the home of Temple of Katharsis. They may take a similar tack to Swedish and Norwegian black metal bands, but their essence is entirely rooted in Greek mythology and culture. Greece is also credited with giving rise to Thou Art Lord, Necromantia, Varathron, Rotting Christ, Macabre Omen and legions of bands.
How would "Macabre Ritual" compare to the work of Greek BM bands that have made a name for themselves abroad as their debut album (after a demo, EP, and a few split releases)? For the band, Greek culture must have had a deeply profound resonance in their spirits. The songwriting has a metaphoric quintessence of the inspiration behind Greek poets and artists from the distant past.
The intrigue behind dissonan and fuzz-laden guitars, tight and booming percussion, gravelly vocals evoking disquiet, and a sinister atmosphere rests in an insinuatory nature in the intro track and many of the following songs, plus a kinesthesia of secrecy and enigma, as if not all of the mystery is manifesting itself. Overall, it creates an outlandish foreshadowing of what you might discover exploring that abyss, and piques your interest in diving deeper to see what might be waiting there.
This element fuels your desire to encounter black metal in all its dark splendor. That is, assuming your definition of "cult" happens to be as broad and extensive as Temple of Katharsis' contributions to this album. Cryptic and captivating, "Macabre Ritual" is a prime portrayal of the pagan traditions that black metal bands have always strived to capture through their work. -Dave Wolff
Lineup:
Hellmaster666: Vocals, bass
Zeratul: Guitars
Souleater: Guitars
Nodens: Drums
Track list:
1. Abyssal Cold Void (Intro)
2. The burning flood of Antichrist
3. Erasure of Religious Existence
4. In the Dungeons with the Rats
5. Ο Αρχιερεύς των Λύκων (The Archpriest of the Wolves)
6. Inside the Medieval Crypt
7. The Kingdom of Hades
8. Macabre Ritual
No comments:
Post a Comment