It’s probably best to start off by stating that Angelcorpse are pretty much my favourite band of all time. When they disbanded (again) in 2009 and news came of guitarist Gene Palubicki releasing material intended for the fifth Angelcorpse CD via a new band, it was just what all of us depressed fans needed to hear. Sadly for me, when Perdition Temple’s debut came out unemployment meant I didn’t manage to pick it up and subsequent attempts to track down a physical copy have all ended down a cul-de-sac of extortionate prices. Luckily for me, however, the man has returned with a new line-up including Black Witchery vocalist Impurath and even his ex-‘corpse band mate/current Immolation man Bill Taylor on guitar for a fresh attack entitled ‘The Tempter’s Victorious’.
The title track gets us underway in characteristic fashion ie fast, fast and fast. Blasts detonate, cataclysmic riffs explode out, with Impurath’s commands not a million miles away from those of Pete Helmkamp. And naturally it’s not long until a bit of Gene’s trademark blitzkrieg soloing fractures the scene. As the track transpires, riffs bubble and burst throughout, as do the drums. Yet for all that’s going on, the constant double bass work and general level of technicality lend a somewhat static feel to proceedings. Above all, the toxic morass of fluctuating rhythm conjured by the guitarists is certainly inescapable. With the second track though, things become more free-flowing as blasts play a greater role and the accompanying riffs fly along with these direct beats. Variations in the guitar work here tear through the musical firestorm like those demonic dragon fingers on the cover of ‘The Inexorable’. And as ‘Scythes of Antichrist’ goes about grinding flesh from bone, that tremendous axis of riffs/drums annihilates without comparison.
On the flip side, there are a few more of those paradoxical static areas across the album. Personally it appears to be down to the drumming, which at times seems to consist of the same constant double bass/snare beat patterns and incessant spasmodic fills. ‘Goddess in Death’ is a case in point, as are stages of the closer ‘Devil’s Blessed’. It’s not as if such tracks are ruined as a result though – the latter contains some especially brutal, oppressive passages. To be fair to drummer Ron Parmer, there’s also a volume of material throughout the record which sounds virtually indistinguishable. Sure, there’s a megaton of aggression oozing forth and plenty of riffs fighting over themselves but there’s not a great deal which implants itself in the memory or which really transcends the openers. There are some stellar moments along the way – like the inter-dimensional soloing of ‘The Doomsday Chosen’ and heaving Morbid Angel worship on ‘Chambers of Predation’ – but no track which stands out like an ‘Into the Storm of Steel’ or ‘Wolflust’, as unfair as such comparison may be.
These observations aside, ‘The Tempter’s Victorious’ is still good. In spirit it’s akin to Blasphemy, with an impenetrable modern vibe and, of course, evident parallels with Angelcorpse. In fact some of the intricacy reminds me of that legend’s final record, only with a far more cohesive and crushing sound. More straight ahead speed and imaginative drumming would be my preference here, and certainly that idea of ‘less being more’ might have benefited certain aspects of Perdition Temple’s approach. Then again, my obsession with Palubicki’s previous outfit necessarily affects my interpretation by setting the bar of expectation supremely high. As is, the storm of black bleeding death metal which Perdition Temple kicks up is a potent (if not entirely memorable) one.
(7/10 Jamie)
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