| Belgium's Forbidden Temple return from the shadows with In The Rotting Grave, a masterful second full-length offering that further solidifies their status as one of the most evocative and distinctive voices in modern underground black metal. Released by Medieval Prophecy Records, the album continues the path laid by their acclaimed debut Step Into the Black Pentagram, but takes the band's haunting mysticism and sepulchral atmosphere to even greater depths.
Agaliarept and Tenebrae, the enigmatic duo behind Forbidden Temple, are once again joined by keyboardist L., whose expanded role on this album adds an essential dimension to the band's already rich sonic tapestry. The spectral synths and eerie organ passages are not mere embellishments but central pillars of the record’s sound. Tracks like “Mephistopheles Nightmare” are elevated by these lush arrangements, which channel an intoxicating blend of Hellenic black metal grandeur and the arcane elegance of early Polish and Italian traditions.
Opening track “Ceremony of Damnation” and the equally potent “Forest Abomination” inject a burst of energy into the album’s otherwise measured pace, with martial percussion and bass-driven riffing invoking both menace and momentum. Elsewhere, the ritualistic “Corpse and Satanic Thunder” unfolds with sensual keys and a primal beat, conjuring the feeling of a midnight invocation deep within moss-covered crypts.
The production on In The Rotting Grave strikes a delicate balance—raw enough to retain that vital underground grit, yet warm and immersive enough to allow the instrumentation to breathe. The guitars rumble with necrotic intent, the drums throb like a funereal march, and the vocals echo as if rising from within a burial vault. All of this culminates in the climactic “My Tomb Will Be Ugly,” a slow-burning closer that captures both the beauty and horror that define Forbidden Temple’s sonic vision.
Visually, the band maintains their commitment to authenticity with a charmingly DIY aesthetic that feels completely in line with their sound—no need for grand locations when the occult can be summoned from your own kitchen. In The Rotting Grave is not only a worthy successor to their previous works but a towering achievement in its own right, placing Forbidden Temple firmly among the elite of today’s black metal underground. A triumph in every sense.
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