ALBUM REVIEW: Temple Koludra – Seven! Sirens! To a Lost Archetype

Time for another belated mini-review, this time of the German Black Metal cult TEMPLE KOLUDRA with their debut full length album, out now via Transcending Obscurity Records. I believe things are about to get strange…

The album draws in on a wave on unnerving samples and ambience, which quickly drops into a barrage of blastbeats and Dark Funeral reminiscent riff assaults with macabre screams, a total strength and ferocity from the off that shows strength, played with a total confidence with some nicely estranged howling to add a bit of discordance to the lively riffs. Dissonant guitar work comes in to make for some more experimental touches gorgeously, texturing the music and punctuated by a thunderous roar of drum fills. I am enticed by this bands fierce mix of Scandinavian style Black Metal with some of the more unhinging elements of the avant-garde to give a progressive flare to the cold void of searing instrumental work, an inferno of unsettling soundscapes is present throughout which are beautifully conjured up, fading in and out from lurking atmospherics to onslaughts of violence with a stunningly ambient mix, fantastic. I am thoroughly impressed by the bands ability to keep things fresh, exciting and volatile with so much carefully crafted musicianship and strong songwriting abilities. Those of you who like Black Metal on the weirder side with dissonant builds to match the barbaric savagery of blasting and tremolo riffs, this is certainly a near-perfect work of art. Utterly beautiful, estranged, violent and chaotic. A stunning display with some of the most grotesquely horrific dissonant atmospherics you will hear this year, total brilliance. A fantastic debut album with perfectly balanced traditional glory and modern progressive flare. -9/10