El Paso, Texas-based Temple of the Beast, the solo project of Thornspawn drummer and vocalist Blackthorn (aka DarkWvlf), rivals some of the world’s finest and rawest black metal. The bestial, lo-fi quality of the project’s “Geminian Arcana” serves to create an atmosphere of secrecy and obscuration, while the relentless drums and repetitive guitars hypnotize the listener into Dionysian madness. Mysticism and malignance abound throughout these five unnerving tracks. Join me as I dive into the depths of Blackthorn’s primitive ritual.

The first track, “Temple I: Through the Trees,” opens with dissonant synths and calls to mind the paranoia of being hopelessly lost in a dense forest at night, with strange noises and the barely-distinguishable sounds of slavering beasts all around. It bursts suddenly and directly into lumbering guitars and low, growling vocals, regularly breaking into frenzied spurts of energy. “Temple II: The Initiation” is altogether more frantic until the two minute mark, where it slows down considerably. Despite the slower tempo, this is not a respite, as the track’s aura becomes more imposing, backing us into a corner before picking back up quickly into animal howls.

From here we are thrust into “Temple III: Reborn Into Darkness.” This track is both malevolent and tortured. Vicious double bass and threatening, dominating snarls make the listener cower at the spectacle being witnessed. An immediate, primitive roar sets the tone of “Temple IV: The Key and the Gate (Sitra Achra).” “Sitra Achra” is a Kabbalistic term meaning “the other side” and refers to all things opposed to God and holiness, which we are certainly dealing with here. As bewitching as it is unsettling, the track makes use of simple but terrifying riffs to build an inescapable atmosphere. The gate is open, the evil within has been unleashed. At last, “Temple V: Exalted Invocation of the Blood Moon” features a jarring lead guitar reminiscent of a snake charmer that dances above us until an extended snarl drags us back into the same paranoid ambience that carried us in, damning us to find our own way out.

Thus ends the wicked rite. Unrelenting derangement permeates the album. The echoing, primitive vocals border on unhinged. You’ll find no shortage of mad, wild black metal riffs here and the production is as raw and nasty as can be, exactly what’s called for to create such a dark ceremony. The overall tone is that of a secret, demented ritual in crumbling ruins. Overall it’s a creepy ride worth coming back to again and again, but be ready to listen from front to back and feel your blood curdle with each experience.