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Ravencult- Temples of Torment
It is quite an uphill battle to entice black metal purists into believing in non-Nordic bands because the initial spawn from this country had proven their worth. The subsequent new faces possess adequate mettle to prove themselves worthy of their motherland’s reputation in this music domain. Nevertheless, there are noteworthy outfits from other European origins which, through time, proved to be as potent- Marduk (Sweden), Enthroned (Belgium), Deathspell Omega (France) & Aborym (Italy) to name a few. Ravencult is a Greek quartet who deserves respect in this light.
Temples of Torment (TOT) is the band’s introductory LP after their formative years saw the release of a couple of demos & an EP to their reputation. The eight tracks here are diverse tunes which invoke the cold & calculated efforts of black metal’s past as well as the relevant noir glaze of the contemporary. We would be forgiven if images of Immortal’s Battles in the North are conjured (The Sign of Baphomet/ The Needles of Truth) as cold & calculative measures are definitive in this release. The band is equally dominant even in crawl pace (In Times of Demise/ Commence the Burning of Heavens), materials Count Grishnack himself would be proud of. Nevertheless, the designating Ravencult signature is only specific in Blessed in Heresy but all in all, TOT is a commanding release which only proves the tentacles of Norway are dangling over Olympian territories but it is nothing encroaching. These Greeks possess enough calibre to resist being by-products.
Rating: 80%
