Woodtemple – Forgotten Pride

Releasedate: 30-09-2014; Label: Sacrilege Records
By: Basak Günel

Woodtemple is a pagan metal band. Hailing from Austria, the band was founded by Amarath in 1998 as a one-man project. With 1 demo and 7 albums so far, Woodtemple has been one of the finest purveyors of the pagan metal scene since the dawn of the new millennium. The band’s 7th and latest record “Forgotten Pride” has recently been released.

What’s great with this record is the fact that it’s quite atmospheric and very nature-oriented. Unlike most of the pagan metal releases nowadays, “Forgotten Pride” will make you feel that pagan vibe and that ‘forgotten pride’ once again. There’s also the melancholia and the darkness created through the choirs from the beginning of the album. In this sense, this album is quite spiritual but also harsh and dark.

Soundwise, compared to the previous albums, the production is better and the sound of the album is a lot cleaner. This does not mean that the vocals are ‘clean’ though; although I was not mesmerized by the raw vocals in this album, I must mention that it fit quite well into the general atmosphere. Furthermore, the ‘rawness’ of the vocals reminded me of the old black-metal era, which is always a positive aspect in a pagan metal record. Apart from this, “Forgotten Pride” is the first Woodtemple record in which trumpets are used so it is indeed quite different from the other records of this one-man project. Another important element is definitely the drumming; dynamic and the diverse drumming in a dark/atmospheric record was very impressive to listen to and I think that the aggression created in the songs can be felt quite clearly within the drums. My favorite from the album is definitely “Sign of the Sun”; this song has the most diverse elements in the album.

In spite of the positive aspects about the album, I cannot say that “Forgotten Pride” is extraordinary. It is not a poor record but generally, it did not catch my attention or did not give me the impression that I should listen to it again and again. I think that more diversity such as more atmospheric elements or nature-oriented themes might have fit just perfectly to the record to catch the attention of the listener a lot more and create the true dark, pagan atmosphere within the record. Nevertheless “Forgotten Pride” is definitely recommended for the fans of the old pagan metal scene. It might not mesmerize you but it is worth listening to.

Line-up:
Amarath – vocals, guitars, keyboards
Rob Darken – bass
Sebastian – drums

Tracklist: 01. Intro 02. Forgotten Pride 03. Sign of the Sun 04. So Far Away 05. Eternal Silence 06. Outro

Links:
Woodtemple Facebook