Music: Black Metal
Country: France
Website: temple.of.baal.free.fr/
Cool Songs: Traitors to Mankind, Living Fleshthrone, Death Inquisition, Under the Spell
TEMPLE OF BAAL belongs to the excellent black metal scene coming out of France. Other quality bands from this scene include EVOHE, ANTAEUS, and BLOODTHORN. The groups 2005 effort, Traitors to Mankind features a variety of extreme metal styles including arctic-cold, tremolo-picked black metal, slow moving, hateful power-chord-heavy black metal in the tradition of DARKTHRONE, and an old school black thrash attack.
The albums opening track Living Fleshthrone is a prime example of how the band masterfully transitions pace and style. This track starts fast and furious, grabbing the listener by the crotch with low end, muffled speed picking. The SLAYER-inspired thrash soon bridges into a catchy, old school NWOBHM type style tailor-fitted for pumping your spiked wrist and banging your head for Satan! Near the middle of this track the group slows it down to a doomish dirge not unlike those heard by MAYHEM and SATYRICON during their slower moments. Bleeding Thoughts and its predecessor Under the Spell are other tracks for thrashers to check out. Under the Spell retains an authentic classic black metal sound. I had to do some fact checking because I could have sworn this was a VENOM cover. Nope, just TEMPLE OF BAAL playing classic black metal!
The albums inherit dark feeling combined with plenty of cutting, horrific tremolo picking marks this album as unarguably black metal. In fact, each song contains one great black metal riff after another, with very little if no filler. The vocals are mostly mid range, bestial, sickly throat emanations that toe the line between death and black metal. In other places vocalist Amduscias raises the pitch of his demonic voice just a notch or two. The drums are loud and hit hard. During the slower bar chord strikes, drummer Antares fills in the gap with excellent rolls. He also makes his presence known during the faster moments with thunderous blast beats.
The venomous playing of TEMPLE OF BAAL would not come across quite as powerful if not for the sound engineering work of Ludovic Tournier who is know for his work with another great French black metal band, HIMINBJORG. Also, fans of their masochistic countrymen, ANTAEUS will be happy (black metal fans arent supposed to be happy!) to know that MKM of the said group wrote the lyrics to Death Inquisition. Traitors to Mankind solidifies TEMPLE OF BAAL as one of the better black metal bands hailing from one of the best black metal scenes in the world.
note: 8.8/10
Tracklist
1. Living Fleshthrone
2. Traitors To Mankind
3. Graveyard Of Disgust
4. Bleeding Thoughts
5. Under The Spell
6. Visions Of Carnage
7. Crawling In Blood And Puke
8. Bitter Days
9. Death Inquisition
10. Flames Of Baal
Total playing time 36:34
Line-up
Arkdaemon – Bass
Amduscias – Vocals, Guitar
Antares – Drums
Alastor – Guitars
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