Release Date June 26th, 2026
Format CD/Digital
Genre Black Metal
Origin USA
Temple Ov Ahriman is a one-man black metal project from Austin, Texas, conceived during the Covid-19 pandemic by the sole architect behind it, Thornicator. Born out of a stalled recording session with another band and a subsequent burst of songwriting activity, the project took years of persistence across multiple studios to reach its debut full-length. "Heretics Of Consensual Reality" is that result, arriving self-released in the summer of 2026.
The album throws second wave black metal, contemporary Finnish black metal and D-Beat into a raw, fast moving shape. The riffs are cold and frantic, the drums attack with a warlike pulse, and the vocals sit in that rasped, cursed zone black metal needs. There is no studio shine here, and the album is better for that.
Tracks such as "War In Heaven", "Wrath Of Iblis" and "White Death" give the album its faster rush, while "Baphomet's Kiss" and "Beyond The Veils Of Maya" stretch the atmosphere a bit more. The album runs as one long black sermon, with spikes of speed and colder passages breaking it up.
Production wise, the album has a rough edge, guitars up front, dry drums, vocals slightly sunk in the storm. This gives it an underground character, although some riff detail gets buried when the tempo rises. The sound has enough shape to make the songs readable, not enough studio gloss to sand down the violence.
"Heretics Of Consensual Reality" is a good first album with speed, anger and a black heart, held back by sections that are too common in shape. Temple Ov Ahriman has the foundation for stronger releases, and this album already has enough fire to put the name on underground black metal radars. No worship, no hype, just a grim first strike that does its job.
|7.0
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