Appearing on this scribe’s audio radar through their second album World Sacrifice, Temple of Dread has been a steady creative force in the European death scene, now up to their fifth studio record with God of the Godless in a fairly swift six years. Hailing from the East Frisian island of Spiekeroog in the North Sea territory of Germany, the band employ psychologist Frank Albers as a lyricist to spin tales of mythical beings in gory, intelligent prose while the musical underpinning hits on a multi-level old school death metal platform that pays homage to many classic Florida and European pioneers from the 80s/early 90s.
Many of these songs possess this hypnotic ritualistic aspect that pummels ears as if climbing the savage walls in purgatory – where the trio of musicians lock onto a key riff / tempo, branching off in twisted, evil permutations only to circle back to another brutally catchy part. Seething growls next to raspy semi-screams emanate from the seasoned throat of Jens Finger – combining elements of Death, Obituary, and Morgoth when it comes to his enunciation plus bone chilling delivery track to track. Check out the diversity of vocal approaches in highlight “Sacrificial Dawn” that features guest contributor Marc Grewe (Morgoth, Asinhell) as the mid-tempo riff churn hits like a sledgehammer. Drummer Jörg Uken also serves as producer in his Soundlodge Tonstudio – allowing the band to develop some cinematic splashes for “Demise of Olympus” and the title song that push dynamic opportunities yet never diminish the main death foundation at play. Depending on which pass of the album, favorites could change daily. For these ears, it’s hard not to resist the blackened tremolo / twisted slower run transitions that come out of the gate on “Carnage Ritual” or the steady supply of rhythmic evil tones next to some Middle Eastern-oriented chord progressions for “Terminal Putrefaction” which should fire up any extreme follower of this style.
Finally ready to bring these albums to live audiences, Temple of Dread keeps the classic sound of death metal alive and isn’t afraid to inject some different influences to the mix as they gain more comfort in their ways. God of the Godless could be the strongest record in an already steady, impressive catalog – prepare to be slaughtered.