Quite clearly US doom-death ghouls Temple Of Void are hellbent on plunging you, the unfortunate listener, into a miasmic cauldron of scathing riffs, hideous atmospherics and a sound as abyssal as anything you’re likely to hear in this genre. The bands previous three albums have been enough for Relapse to pick them up and whilst it is obvious the band has been afforded a better production it hasn’t sacrificed the sheer slithering sludge like impenetrability this five-piece constructs within these seven tracks.
Usually albums like this unveil sprawling colossal durations and whilst there are a couple of lengthy efforts the songs are generally within the five to six minutes range with a couple of a short ones inserted too. Ingrained into the fabric is an old school death metal element too adding to the albums power which begins with ‘Behind The Eye’. With guttural vocals being the norm in this genre, here they are utterly grotesque and disembowelling at times but always possess clarity. Fans of the early doom-death acts of the early 90s are sure to enjoy this, particularly due to the Paradise Lost like embellishments on the guitar work. The opener really paves the way for what is to come as ‘Deathtouch’ follows and sees the first monster eight-minute tune replete with seamless fluidity as the song goes through a variety of changes, whether via the riffs, tempos or hooks all indelibly etched int it.
Every song is different here, each offering something a little bit different as another epic ensues with ‘Engulfed’ with its very appropriate song title. It does indeed engulf you, surrounds you with its asphyxiating horror but also has an eeriness and creepiness this genre absolutely has to have. ‘A Sequence Of Rot’ changes tack slightly, by starting with dense bass riffing and percussive elements that create a sort of Gothic texture though this is far more opaque of course. As the riffing filters in I couldn’t stop thinking about very early Katatonia and when you hear it maybe you will hear what I mean. With the pacing kept within ultra-slow mode it allows the tune to focus on that guitar work which definitely has Paradise Lost traits here.
‘Hex, Curse, & Conjuration’ has a great opening, reminiscent of Covenant era Morbid Angel, the song is monstrously solid here, with the slow double kick feeling like hammer blows to the torso before the awesome riff break and increase in speed. Everything here is perfect for me, the way the song weaves its intensity through the tempo shifts but importantly the song is actually really catchy. The atmospherics adorning ‘The Transcending Horror’ add to the album’s creepiness, retaining a slower pace the gnarly vocals and grisly aura only reinforce the claustrophobia felt, especially when it completely switches into a very calm phase. This leaves only ‘Dissolution’ to conclude proceedings, with its acoustic guitar work and quite soporific ethos, unveiling the clean vocals that appeared on the previous album, and if I’m honest I would have liked more of the clean vocals because they are haunting and would have added another level of texture to an already great album. As a closer though it is excellent, not what you’d expect at all, but beautifully played and sang.
An exceptional fourth album from Temple Of Void, one saturated with a psychedelic horror, tinged with atmosphere and with cover artwork that is one of the best I’ve seen this year. Great album!
(8.5/10 Martin Harris)
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