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Forbidden Temple – Step Into The Black Pentagram

forbidden temple – step into the black pentagram

Info

This is actually not the right order, because after this first full-length album by this downright fantastic Belgian Black Metal band, two more releases came out, both of which were already reviewed on our VM-Underground pages. This album came out about a year ago, but missing one of the best Belgian Black Metal albums on our pages is not really a very defensible option either, so, under the motto ‘better late than never’, here is ‘Step Into The Black Pentagram’.

Not that the band brings anything different here than it has done before on previous demos and EPs, but the sheer quality of the material on offer is more than worth highlighting here (still). The mainly slow Black Metal where the emphasis is on atmosphere manages to keep a full album (even if it clocks in at just over half an hour) captivating. Like their genre and scene-pleasing Moenen Of Xezbeth, Forbidden Temple pays a nicely dosed and well-executed ode to the occult Black Metal of the late 80s and early 90s. Listening to the tracks, comparisons to bands like Varathron, Mortuary Drape, Samael, Xantotol, Goatlord and Baxaxaxa alternate like the colours in a kaleidoscope.

The wonderfully authentic sound, with the keyboards, humming moodily in the background, playing a prominent role. Although I have been following the band since the first recordings, I never cease to be amazed at how unique their primal sound is in today’s Black Metal scene, a sound this pure and 24-carat black is truly a rarity. So, indeed, leaving out ‘Step Into The Black Pentagram’ on VM-Underground is definitely not acceptable.