Sépulcre – Cryptic Temple of Otherworldly Abhorrations
Release Date: 16th October 2026
Label: Invictus Productions
Bandcamp
Genre: Death Metal
FFO: Cruciamentum, Grave Miasma, Invocation, Phobocosm, Lvcifyre, Dead Congregation, Funebrarum, Fossilization.
Review By: Aeons Burning
French dismal death metal riffmasters Sépulcre are due to release their debut album, Cryptic Temple of Otherworldly Abhorrations, this Friday, and this is one release I was pretty excited for. Their debut EP from back in 2022, Cursed Ways of Sheol, was only a four-song EP, but it was solid enough to whet my appetite for a full length. Now that the debut LP is just about here, I’m pleased to say that Sépulcre have delivered a really promising slab of evil-sounding death metal not unlike their contemporaries in Cruciamentum and Invocation. Honestly, if you’re a fan of any of those artists I’ve listed in the FFO section, you know exactly what you’re getting into here.
There’s nothing flashy on Cryptic Temple of Otherworldly Abhorrations, instead all songs are focused solely on menacing, downtempo riffs with light lead work in between to really give off as much of an ossuarium atmosphere as possible. Bass is rumbly all throughout, as it should be for this kind of death metal, with a notable highlight being Cryptic Temple… and the extended section of a sample of people shrieking in agony while the bass rumbles alone. …Of Otherworldly Abhorrations, the companion track, is another neat piece that plays on the use of atmosphere with chants in the background that works extra well to give this record a menacing feel. Sépulcre know when to speed things up, too, as Katabasis has a much-needed thrashy intro before engaging back into the mid-paced groove they’re most comfortable with. Solos, while few in number, are quite nice, with Towards the Unknown being the highlight.
Now, while Cryptic Temple of Otherworldly Abhorrations is a solidly executed, evil-sounding death metal record, this ain’t my first rodeo into this zone of death metal, and to be honest, I’ve heard so much of this kind of death metal that this doesn’t do the best job of sticking out for me. I’ll never say no to a record such as this, considering I can down these kinds of death metal albums like junk food, but the bottom line is I need something a bit more substantive to really place it in the upper echelons of this sound, and while Sépulcre certainly know what they’re doing, it doesn’t quite reach the mark of greatness for me. It’s definitely worth at least a few spins, though, because any fan of this kind of dismal-sounding music is going to enjoy themselves, and while I can’t see this cracking any end-of-year lists, it’s enjoyable. Maybe on album number two Sépulcre will make something that pushes the envelope, but I’d be okay with more of this too.
(3 / 5)
