The World That Was

American death-doomers Temple Of Void are back with their third album.

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, blast-beats 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.

Written for www.nattskog.wordpress.com

Temple Of Void are a doom/death act that hail from Detroit, Michigan, gaining a fairly healthy following with their three studio albums. The World That Was is the most recent, following up as the first full-length since 2017’s Lords Of Death. Bands of this style tend to be some of the most grueling, darkening their approach to extreme levels in order to drag the listener down to the moist pits of horror. But I’d say that Temple Of Void mold a slightly warmer brand, which is somewhat reflected on the colorful album sleeve.

Something like that can go multiple ways. The World That Was is very much an effort needing a few listens to really digest, as it’s rather vague and unclear. Softer passages and cleaner approaches are used very regularly. Fortunately, they work themselves in without feeling like awkward transitions, but at the same time I found a lot of it to be unflattering. “Self-Schism” dials back the electric stomps a bit too much, which would be fine if the cleaner licks were more interesting. Furthermore, opener “A Beast Among Us” quiets the second half down completely and descends in a way that feels like the instruments lose their wailing life. I can’t knock that too much, because this adds the life-draining feeling that the band was clearly aiming to achieve, but that still doesn’t automatically make it pleasant.

Thankfully, the back half offers ideas that firmly grasp you by the ear. “Leave The Light Behind” is easily the best song, adding effects and atmospheric build over explosive riffing that’s pulled off incredibly. To my surprise, there was also some clean singing weaved into it, which complimented the sharper leads that arc behind the forefront. If the entire disc was like this, it would have been a masterpiece. The longer songs at the end are definitely a step-up from what’s let on in the beginning but can get tiresome in their own way if not in the right mindset. They’re beefy enough, though.

What it boils down to is that if you can get past the underwhelming start to the disc, you should be fine. Save for one song, the back half isn’t overly incredible or anything, but it’s serviceable for sure. The little two-minute acoustic piece “A Single Obulus” is a soothing number to indicate when things start to go upward. People who love their death metal extra doomy should give this a whirl, but don’t expect anything too filthy or mind-blowing.

Originally written for Indy Metal Vault