ALBUM REVIEW: Temple Of Void – The World That Was

American Death-Doomers TEMPLE OF VOID are back with their third album, out via Shadow Kingdom Records on March 27th (incidentally my birthday so if the band/label wants to send a copy get in touch).

Thundering in with dreary but empowered riffs and ridiculously tight drum work, a vocal roar and cutting riffs drive out the bellowing stench of unique and convulsion-rife sewerage. Hitting hard with a ferocious blend of old school Death Metal and slower grooves, the flanger touches add a nuanced uncertainty to the volatile despairing sound the band conjure up which generates both disturbed visions and an anguishing undertone. With a gloomy yet tranquil atmospheric permeating through the pungent Death Metal onslaught, the butchery continues but with a class and grace of truly masterful songwriting prowess and genius musicianship that conveys a range of emotions through a monolithically crushing sound. The storming dissonant grooves continue further into hellishly demonic and obliterating tension with even more pulsating tendrils spewing forth from the cacophonous blend of eerie guitar riffs, pounding drum beats and snarling vocal vomit. Drawing out morbid doomy dreariness while keeping a punishingly brutal approach to Death-Doom is an exceedingly difficult task but I think this record hones this art to near perfection, delivering a visceral yet atmospherically indulgent and overall hypnotically captivating set of tracks which complement each other as magnificently as the instruments do. Throwing in some classical guitar was a bold move that could have completely ruined the album by going off on a tangent but it was surprisingly fitting to the calm yet destructive music from Temple Of Void and I think a bold risk that deserves respect, especially due to it paying off so well, even more so with the cosmic ambience that brings in the following track. This release still remains relentless and drags you blissfully through some of the most intensely brooding Extreme Metal you will hear. Aside from the stomping, blundering storm of riffs, blastbeats and growls, also separable from the doomy ambient brilliance, there are some excellent progressions and even clean vocals that further add to the eerie and spectral feeling of archaic horrors within this record. A haunting and brilliant slab of some of Death Metal’s finest work to come in 2020, deliverance into a macabre and devastatingly heavy spectacle that will have you gripped throughout. While only six tracks (and less than forty minutes) in length, there is not a dull moment on this album that is inarguably unforgettable. -9/10