Temple of Void – Of Terror and the Supernatural (Shadow Kingdom)

Thursday, 3rd September 2015
Rating: 7/10

Detroit death/doomers Temple of Void generated some buzz for themselves with their 2013 demo. The band then went on to independently release Of Terror and the Supernatural the following year (thus bringing us to 214). Having now signed to Shadow Kingdom Records, the label decided to re-issue said debut while the band is working on their next platter.

Clearly working within the death/doom framework, Temple of Void work their best with melody throughout Of Terror and the Supernatural. Despite the oozing sound, songs like “The Embalmer’s Art,” the acoustic instrumental “To Carry this Corpse Evermore,” and “Exanimate Gaze” utilize some oddly catchy melodies that mix in quite well. The pacing is often deliberately plodding, not often going into the more visceral side of their death metal influences but the crunch and weight behind it is certainly there. In this regard, the band has plenty of appeal if you enjoy bands like Paradise Lost, Incantation, or even Autopsy.

The problem lies with the pacing. Some tracks feel a bit bland compared to the rest, and the 5-10 minute song lengths feel like they could be trimmed down. “Invocation of Demise” is a perfect example. Even within the song there are still some cool moments (the main riff is solid), but the track outlasts its effectiveness with some of the slower moments feeling overtly long.

Some tracks may feel less exciting than the others, but as Temple of Void nails their sound with future offerings, it shouldn’t be a problem. They’ve already established they can throw in some intriguing melodies into the usual death/doom format, so if that is an element that they run with, they are bound to enjoy some future success.

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