Let all shadows die here as the temple is relit, wherein the fires of an insidious cult come rushing back through an old wound, speared open for this seventh-gorged daimonian return. Ioannina, Greece-based abyssic black metal quintet Varathron produce an energetic, chest-pounding infusion back into the halls of demented and theatric black metal as this seventh full-length album vivifies their presence beyond a five year sojourn. ‘The Crimson Temple‘ is more than a curse upon the ruins but an enormous stage set, a ten-scene depiction of mayhemic wonders imagined in blood-painted and maw spewed arcane extremity. Theirs is yet a boldly personified spectacle, unstoppably melodious and mayhemic violent, doomed and blazoned in splattered sacrifice befitting these ancient gods of dark magick.

Varathron formed back in 1988 as one important piece of the unique Athens extreme metal scene beyond its thrashing and grinding beginnings. A contemporary and collaborator with the bigger names in the first-gen second wave black field of that arena one could make the case that this band has arguably endured as an underground darling and representative rather than a “mainstream” leader. I count their output as some of my favorite in the black metal sub-genre and not only the crucial early 90’s work and their first two albums (‘Walpurgisnacht‘, 1995 is a huge favorite) but especially ‘Stygian Forces of Scorn‘ (2009) as a personal favorite. In fact I’ve marked them as my favorite black metal band for a couple of decades now thanks to their heavy metal inspired grasp of the riff, a signature which still survives alongside their lust for dark, cryptic atmosphere applied to memorable and expressive works.

For folks well-studied in the dark arts and everlasting sin-craft of Varathron no doubt ‘Patriarchs of Evil‘ (2018) felt like it was a step back into the most classic identity of the band while also yanking that sound into the present, as their influence still carries heavily upon the black metal underground worldwide, perhaps moreso than ever. With this in mind ‘The Crimson Temple‘ may very well feel accessible, exuberant and wrathful in its strong melodic frontage to the point that it should contrast heavily with the previous album. The mystic echoing chambers of 2018 are now a spire upon a stage, a grand sacrifice in front of thousands and in most every way these songs fill that stage with blood, fire and a sense of open-air evil. This is especially true as we strike into opener “Hegemony of Chaos” where the punch of the rhythms is hard-felt and the rush of their riffs are met with elaborate Hellenic melodies which offer power to the listener rather than wilt or sentiment, this is a big heavy metal song up front and the level of gleaming detail allowed per this sound design is stunningly cut. The halls are filled with devious choirs, the keyboards offer a clangorous mystic spell cast and no, this is not going to be a subtle experience.

“Crypts in the Mist” is in some ways a very classic Varathron piece when we consider their life beyond 2004, a revivification with a solidified line-up that persists to this day, but we could also treat it as a viably memorable single one which is directly representative of Hellenic black metal’s melodic values right down to its percussive stride and loft of its atmospheric reach. Perhaps the wah-pedal use later in the song will throw off some but likely endear melodic metal fans seeking a guitar driven sound. Not only do we find this vibrance of pace and detail as a freshened aspect of ‘The Crimson Temple‘ but each piece is tasked with telling its own story, a fable or scene set which is not only depicted in the beautifully curated booklet (and cover art, also from maestro Paolo Girardi) per several illustrations but also in the lyrics. The way I view this song is that it is a point of refraction, some extra momentum heading into the higher-soaring “Cimmerian Priesthood”, another piece which bristles with electrified energy ’til its melodic shapes begin to reveal wider-curved design. I’d particularly loved the intimacy of the riff around ~3:38 minutes in as it’d allowed some extra dimension per its refrain while also giving the ‘old school’ Varathron fan some semblance of their old signature, even if this album might have a bit more to do with ‘Stygian Forces of Scorn‘ (2009) rather than their early 90’s material. This side of the band, especially when it comes to the glowing upswing of “Sinners of the Crimson Temple”, is more than likely to attract fans of Rotting Christ‘s late 90’s sound.

Side A is all about its grand entrance, morbid grandeur depicted and the rush of blood through the halls of sacrifice as the cult returns…and then, we thrash!? One of my favorite parts of ‘Patriarchs of Evil‘ was the thrash metal inspired whip of “Into the Absurd” and thankfully some of that riff-forward thrashing attack makes its way into ‘The Crimson Temple‘ as we step into its second half with “Immortalis Regnum Diaboli”. As we will find the cryptic and deeper-set occult side of the band is not far off as Side B pulls us through a strong variety of pieces, each of which represents Varathron and also seems to implement instrumentation indicative of Hellas, such as the brief intermissions found on the slithering “To the Gods of Yore”. If you’re only looking for the biggest standouts, the boldest howling wild creations from their camp then “Shrouds of the Miasmic Winds” has all of the bluster and feral rippling of Side A with a bit of death-metallic shudder to its later verses, keeping the riffs spiraling-out while also incorporating both male and female chorales into this stunning piece.

For my own taste this second half of the full listen is where the adventure is at, where we get the depth which the band are known for, but still at a more kicking pace which ultimately makes ‘The Crimson Temple‘ feel like a breath of life back into the cult, and thankfully the riffs (see: “Swamp King”) do not stop on through the end. In fact I’d found it hard not to find the vital pulse of Varathron in every piece on this album where I’m sure they’d honed every song until it reached a high enough point of potential, or, the exact right feeling so that it might belong on this album. The only moment that doesn’t entirely fit comes with a sort of ‘Elegy‘-era Amorphis feeling lead on the closing piece but this would only sound out of place to start.

For the uninitiated there is an easy, comfortably approached full listen found here, well-rounded out in the second half as these folks push through ~48 minutes as if the album were half that length and keep the pace up throughout. Though the band had written well enough slower, simpler pieces back in the early 90’s I did find that I was missing some of the sepulchral doom lurch of some of their past on this record (“To the Gods of Yore” does a fine job, though) yet the trade-off comes with more involved, riff-heavy and briskly stated theatric black metal pieces; As a devout fan I’d felt nothing but redeeming thrill upon every turn taken throughout ‘The Crimson Temple‘, electricity felt through the veins that’d inspired countless listens for weeks on end. I’d ultimately see this as something new from Varathron whereas the previous album was solidifying in a different way, this feels less nostalgic for the past and gives more of their energy to the present and future, though there’ll be no arguing the old ways persist within this record. It is a fine balance and a record that’d helped bring back a bit of passion here in the midst of the end of the year drain. A very high recommendation and, per my own taste, one of the best albums of the year.

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