Ferdinando “Herr Morbid” Marchisio (vocals, guitars, synths) first came to prominence in black metal outfit Sacrater, but after that band broke up in 1999, he formed Forgotten Tomb which quickly became a one-man outfit. After the first few albums in that manner he brought in some more musicians, with Alessandro “Algol” Comerio (bass) and Kyoo-Nam “Asher” Rossi (drums) both there since 2003, while Jöschu “J.” Käser (guitars) joined in 2019. This release comes four years of ‘Nihilistic Estrangement’ and finds the band reinterpreting its Depressive Black Metal roots, which is somewhat fitting given this is being released during their 25th anniversary year.

A special mention must made be made of the production (by Daniele Mandelli with the band), as the sound is incredibly clean with wonderful definition and delineation, and that combined with their classic approach means we have an album which is very modern in some ways, but also incredibly dated in others. The vocals are harsh and guttural, the accompaniment creates an atmospheric wall of sound, yet the bass can be clearly heard creating sub melodies underneath the guitar. The band also switch from one style to another with ease, mixing a dark approach with more atmospheric picking and solo guitars so one is never sure what is going to happen next, except it is all taking place in black and white in a deep cave somewhere. That the artwork is also without colour is just another example of the finesse which has gone into this release which manages the straddle the line between overt commerciality and over production with raw menace to produce something which is incredibly enjoyable indeed. This is their eleventh studio album, and most fans look to the first three as being genuine classics of the genre, and while this may not be quite to the standard this is a release which will please all fans, both old and new.

Rating: 8/10

Links:
https://www.facebook.com/Official.Forgotten.Tomb
https://www.agoniarecords.com/