Year: 2023
Total Time: 46:55 
Label: Agonia Records

Five years since the release of the album “Patriarchs of Evil” the news that the patriarchs of the Greek Black Metal scene VARATHRON would release their new album in  December 2023 created huge excitement and high expectations. We don’t need to make any special mention for VARATHRON, as it is a huge band with a great contribution to the Black Metal genre. Albums like “His Majesty At The Swamp” and “Walpurgisnacht” are considered classics, with a great impact on the worldwide Black Metal scene and it is no coincidence that VARATHRON still have the respect of fans and bands after so many decades.

The new album is titled “The Crimson Temple” and is accompanied by an impressive cover artwork, created by Paolo Girardi. The production is clean, similar to the one we were familiar with on “Patriarchs of Evil”, continuing from where they left us in 2018. Musically, the album moves in the old-school Black Metal sounds of the Greek scene, accompanied by classic/epic Heavy Metal influences along with chants and keyboards.

The album opens with the introductory “Ascension”, which is a precursor for the aggressive “Hegemony of Chaos”. It is noteworthy that in both arrangements VARATHRON have mixed traditional Greek folk elements. The speeds are maintained in “Crypts in the Mist” to be followed by the mid tempo song “Cimmerian Priesthood” while in “Immortalis Regnum Diaboli” we can distinguish the Thrash Metal influences of VARATHRON. Back to slow rhythms with “To the Gods of Yore”, a song in which we also find Doom Metal elements while “Shrouds of the Miasmic Winds” and “Swamp King” bring back the aggression to our ears. The epilogue of “The Crimson Temple” is given with “Constellation of the Archons”, a song which is the longest of the album. An epic, imposing piece of music with the ghost of BATHORY (of the “Hammerheart” era) hovering throughout this arrangement, while Stefan Necroabyssious’ performance is truly captivating!

The return of VARATHRON with “The Crimson Temple” is vast! The band offers us a dark album of melodic Black Metal with mystical/apocryphal elements and a haunting atmosphere. An eerie musical ensemble that only VARATHRON know how to create, releasing one of the best works for 2023. The band honors its musical heritage and after 34 years of career, the band proves once again that it remains thriving and strong, showing that it still has a lot to offer us!

Rating: 8/10
Editor: Nikos Manousis
Related Link: VARATHRON – Facebook Page