Hate Forest ‎"Temple Forest" LP Vinyl

Remained unreleased until 2003 when this recording appeared on the "To Twilight Thickets" compilation.

Bonus track "With Fire And Iron" demo-version recorded in the autumn of 2002, previously unreleased. Original song appeared on "Battlefields".

While Hate Forest is mainly known for their harsh black metal, the group has also dabbled into ambient territory before. The most notable is their demo "The Gates", which is divisive among fans and something I personally won't recommend to those trying to get into the band. However, in 2007, the group released another demo titled "Temple Forest", which were previously featured as bonus tracks from one of their compilation albums.

Composition wise, this demo is very basic. In pretty much all of these tracks, there is only one tune that plays throughout the entirety of the song. But despite its bare-bones songwriting, the synths and keyboards sound really good, as they capture that dark and cold essence of a wintry forest in Ukraine. There are also a couple of standouts as well. "Moon", for instance, takes on a more nightly atmosphere that is executed well with its spacey synths, while "First Rays of the Rising Sun" feels more like the sun is rising in a chilling landscape. But my personal favorite track would have to be "Spectral and Sad Is Thy Forest Dance". Not only is it the most complex track with two layers of keyboards, but its atmosphere is the most grand and spectacular with its melodic tunes and booming sound.

Temple Forest might not have the dark, desolate riffs like most other Hate Forest albums, but it does still have that cold, bleak, and depressing atmosphere that Hate Forest is so well known for. Like with The Gates, I personally only recommend it to those who are more knowledgeable with the band, but even if you're new to the band, there's still no harm to entering this dark ambient realm

Sample: youtube.com/watch?v=m_BmkNNzFkI&t=1672s