Once again, one that slipped through the cracks, and this time I must admit to feeling a fair amount of shame, especially considering that I count myself among the more devoted followers of this band and their releases. Despite the fact that Draculhearsals appeared earlier this year, a release that once again proved highly satisfying to this reviewer, it became painfully clear when we started balancing out this year’s reviews that we had failed rather spectacularly. In the Rotting Grave had completely escaped our attention.
Forbidden Temple, the illustrious Belgian duo consisting of Agaliarept and Tenebrae, once again assisted on this album by L on keyboards, released their second full-length in March of this year. And yes, this was one we had been waiting for. We bought it, listened to it… and then somehow forgot to properly review it. The welts are already visible on my back, and penance shall be paid at least until the end of the year.
Where their 2022 debut Step Into the Black Pentagram already stirred quite a bit and left many listeners waking up with a “smile,” Forbidden Temple raise the stakes even further on In the Rotting Grave. The production is noticeably stronger and fuller, yet never once sacrifices the credibility of a true underground act. Everything sounds more powerful, but never polished; raw where it needs to be, ceremonial where it counts.
This time around, there is an even stronger emphasis on synthesizers, subtly but unmistakably pushing the sound further toward the Greek school of Black Metal than was the case on the debut. Shades of Nercomantia loom heavily in the background, yet Forbidden Temple never descend into hollow worship. The keyboards are not mere decoration, but actively shape the suffocating, occult atmosphere that hangs over the album like a funerary shroud.
Riffs cut and coil in ritualistic fashion, the drumming remains tight without sounding clinical, and the vocals are commanding and ominous, like a preacher slowly guiding his congregation toward the abyss. The compositions are carefully structured, maintaining tension without falling into needless repetition. This is Black Metal that takes its time, yet never wastes a single moment.
In the Rotting Grave feels like an album that knows exactly what it wants to be: not a trend-chaser, nor a nostalgic caricature, but an honest and deeply sinister record, firmly rooted in tradition while still sounding fresh enough to remain relevant. Here, Forbidden Temple display maturity, vision, and ,above all, conviction.
That we initially overlooked this release remains a painful realization. Because this is an album that easily deserves a place among the stronger underground releases of the year.
A ritualistic, pitch-black offering that firmly establishes Forbidden Temple as one of the stronger exports of the Belgian Black Metal underground. Fans of the Hellenic school, as well as devotees of pure, atmospheric underground Black Metal, should not let this one pass them by.
90/100
awarded with a healthy dose of self-inflicted penance for our negligence.
Medieval Prophecy Records:
Website
