Let’s step inside Temple ov Ahriman.
For this debut album, Heretics of Consensual Reality, Thornicator (vocals/guitar/bass/keyboards, Triacanthos, ex-Vesperian Sorrow, ex-Brüka) enlisted Servitor (drums), Jack Control (mastering, Darkthrone, Frozen Soul, Mork, Udåd…) and Mitchell Nolte (artwork, Aborted, Baest, Werewolves…).
The album kicks off with the abrasive War in Heaven, the opening track featuring a raw mix and an aggressive Old School approach, on which the musician delivers both macabre vocals and some much softer touches on the keyboards, shifting from lively tones to slow, haunting passages, creating an interesting contrast. We also hear the soft voice of Sekt (Brüka, Sister Grim) leading into the outro, followed by Wrath of Iblis, where furious leads and blast beats plunge us back into a storm of violence, interrupted only by an unsettling break where the vocalist’s growls are disrupted by dissonant tones. The aggression resurfaces, barely granting us a moment’s respite before the finale, then Infernal Imperium offers us some more melancholic and intoxicating tones, bringing an interesting touch of diversity that we also find in the roars before moving on to SPQB, the next track. The musician once again unveils a sound that shifts between slow, almost minimalist passages and pure violence, featuring Misery, Røzar, and Vøn HammerBlast (Brüka), who provide aggressive backing vocals at key moments. White Death follows in an atmosphere that is equally intoxicating but a bit heavier, almost oppressive when accompanied by screams, but once you get used to it, the melodies seem almost reassuring, just like those of the title track, Heretics of Consensual Reality, which even softens the faster sections. The cavernous growls return and complement the more piercing vocal parts that usually dominate, before giving way to Doom touches on Baphomet’s Kiss, the next track that plunges us back into its ocean of softness and melancholy, even including a few whispers to complement the visceral screams. The lewd break may come as a surprise but remains consistent with the track’s atmosphere; then it is ultimately up to Beyond the Veils of Maya to shoulder the heavy task of closing the album, not without offering us one last wave of intensity, itself broken by a soothing clean-sound passage that invokes an unsettling voice for a more accessible moment before the final conflagration.
Temple ov Ahriman cultivates its Old School roots with a sound that’s as abrasive as can be, giving Heretics of Consensual Reality a rare ferocity while occasionally allowing it to weave in extremely melodious, ethereal passages. A gem for connoisseurs.
85/100
