Now, I know this album is called 'The 7th Awakening' but it actually is a debut. Temple Of Evil was formed in Nicosia, Cyprus in 2008. Since then, they have been working on their first epos. It has become quite an interesting album. Fierce, harsh black metal at first, but showing a melodic, pagan and deeply personal touch after a deeper listening session. It reminds me most of a time when the genre was first incorporating these elements.
Bands that come to mind are Rotting Christ, Emperor and perhaps Satyricon, all in their first few inceptions. Yet, with Temple Of Evil, the emphasis doesn't seem to be on furious blast beats and ruthless aggression. Instead, this act focus on a more ritual and atmospheric approach. In fact, the opening of 'Chalice of Impure Blood' brings some ritual industrial ambient acts to mind, certainly in the percussion and the narrative vocals.
Yet, of course there is room for sheer speed and terror, as with any decent black metal album. And 'The 7th Awakening' certainly is an excellent piece of work. Plenty of melody, grinding riffs and haunting vocals, what else could you possibly want? 'Chalice of Impure Blood' actually is my favorite track here but there are other highlights to, like 'Illvminatio Tenebrarvm' or the epic 'The Book Of Shadows', which comes close to some of my favorite Dimmu Borgir anthems.
So yeah, I think this is a pretty damn good album, suited perfectly for those grimm days full of hate and despair, or just to play extremely loud and headbang yourself into a coma or something. I hope that we hear a lot more from this band, because there is a lot of potential here, good musicianship and great songwriting skills. If they continue to grow as it does now, Temple Of Evil might soon conquer the dark marquee stages at Europe's finest metal festivals.
Serge