Temple Of Baal - Lightslaying Rituals (2009)

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Featuring members of Glorior Belli ( one of the best French Black Metal bands that I have reviewed recently) Temple of Baal plays some mean straight up Black Metal that many bands trying to be too ‘cult’ or overly symphonic need to pay attention to.

My instant thought for comparison of this band is with Lord Belial, they both share the same approach to Black Metal, and I love it. The both play stripped down to the basics Black Metal that does not need the ‘we need to sound like shit to be evil’ production or the required tremolo picking riffs galore that makes you head hurt after a few songs.

Some of the songs in “Lightslaying Rituals” even have some clear Death Metal influences in their riffs and solos, also the vocals sometimes make this band sound like Vader, this being the main difference between Temple Of Baal and Lord Belial. The riffing in this album is what makes this release different from most BM albums since it sounds very Death Metal like, but it never crosses that invisible line that divides the genres. The drumming is very compact and it perfectly captures the band’s pace, never going too fast, but not slowing down either. All other elements are nicely mixed and do not allow anything to standout, making it a very balanced mix.

After reviewing countless Black Metal releases over the years, I pride my self in being able to distinguish releases that have substance and potential over the ones that are just mimicking somebody else or are trying to be too evil. Temple Of Baal is one of the bands that follows in the first category since they have been constantly improving their style over the years (this is their 3rd full length album) and are trying to refine their own style. The band has never followed the trends in the Metal scene, and they are probably not as recognized because of this, but this band’s time will come.

“Lightslaying Rituals” is a pretty solid release of a DM influenced Black Metal that never gets annoying or overdone. The band has managed to keep improving on each of their previous releases and this album is not the exception. If you like Vader and/or Lord Belial then this album is definitely for you.

Band: Temple Of Baal Album: Lightslaying Rituals
Label: Agonia Records

Release: November 27, 2009

Official Site myspace
Genre: Black Metal

Country: France

Rating: 85/100
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