TEMPLE OF SCORN is a death metal band from Denmark. They are a new band on the scene, formed just a few years ago in 2018. They released their debut EP in 2021 but “Funeral Altar Epiphanies” is their full length debut. However, while the band itself is new, the members are fully vetted in the scene. Featuring current and former members of such bands as DAWN OF DEMISE, WOEBEGONE OBSCURED, THE ARCANE ORDER, BAEST, and EXMORTEM (among others), I knew this album was going to slay before I even pushed play.

This album is often fast paced but is always absolutely brutal. Those are, of course, key elements in this type of music. However, what I like the most is how unnerving and hellish the atmosphere is. In that regard, they remind me of IMMOLATION—much like those legends, they use their own very natures to make the songs atmospheric. Another aspect of the album that hooked me is that there are many moments of dismal, doom passages. When these moments combine with their destructive death metal, the band is unstoppable. The production is surprisingly high quality for this style. I’ll admit that I would prefer something more rough but, with that being said, it isn’t so pristine that it takes away from their sound. If anything, it allows their ghastly and savage music to really stand out.

The album begins with the short intro, ‘Subsequent Mass.’ It makes sense as an intro due to its unnerving approach that builds up to the second song but, by itself, is isn’t anything engaging. ‘Burden of Decline’ rages in next, backed by razor sharp drumming. The bass and guitars are musical bulldozers. As the song moves ever forward to flatten everything in its path, it all builds up towards a killer section at the 1:03 mark. The riff is massive and, what amounts to melody for this band, heightens the mood and pushes the song into truly terrifying territory. ‘Icons of Demonic Virtues,’ begins slow and crushing. The band is so adept at using tempo to change the moods of their music and this song is a prime example of that ability. The first two minutes are massive but around the halfway mark, the music changes to pure chaos.

The title track is about as happy as one would expect, which is to say not happy at all. The dour, sickening atmosphere hangs overhead like a neverending black cloud. What else could you ask for? The song has a dirge like quality to it, a constant rumble that threatens to destroy at any minute. The death growls really go all out here, a void of bleakness unto themselves. The last couple minutes of the song are doomy as hell and I can’t think of a better way to end the The final song is ‘Burning Palace of Wisdom’ and it is one of the best on the album. From beginning to end, it is both sweltering and towering—this song is a living, monolithic being that has been captured and placed into an audio prison. I could use that same sentence to describe the album as a whole. This is one of the better debuts I’ve heard from a death metal band and one hell of a way to start their journey. ‘Funeral Altar Epiphanies,’ is an album that will appeal to underground fans of both brutal music and atmospheric, doom laden music. Don’t sleep on this one.