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| Cover painting by Bruce Pennington. |
As soon as you listen to Of Terror and the Supernatural, you’ll immediately think that Temple of Void hail from Sweden, circa 1992 or so. Turns out that’s not the case, however, as this quintet hails from Detroit, Michigan. Nonetheless, Of Terror and the Supernatural, the debut full-length from Temple of Void, is a direct descendant of classic Swedish death metal and doom/ death metal from bands as widely varied as Grave, early Opeth, and Edge Of Sanity. Toss in modern nods to doom metal giants such as Evoken and a gigantic production, and you've all the hallmarks of a minor classic.
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| Photo by Carmelo Española. |
Frankly, Of Terror and the Supernatural totally snuck up on me as I was expecting basic death metal and not much else. Certainly, you’ll get that impression right out of the gate with “Embalmers Art”, a straightforward death metal track to open the album with bludgeoning riffs and a mid-paced tempo. Obviously influenced by Grave and other, early Sunlight Studios-era bands, Temple of Void soon downshift to a slow dirge, a pattern that repeats throughout Of Terror and the Supernatural. Songs such as “Beyond the Ultimate” and “Invocation of Demise” also demonstrate Temple of Void’s fascination with mid-paced Swedish death metal.
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| Photo by Carmelo Española. |
The basic pattern of death/ doom metal may be somewhat unoriginal, but the album is very good throughout, and Temple of Void wisely add some interesting songwriting elements to their delivery, elements that separates them from the hordes of other bands treading the same waters. Hints of subtlety begin with “To Carry This Corpse Evermore”, a pleasant acoustical, instrumental composed and played by the singer, Michael Erdody.
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| Photo by Carmelo Española. |
More changes appear in “Bargain in Death”, a nearly eleven minute long song deep into the album that serves as the centerpiece with a huge riff enhanced by a slow pace, only to shift to an uptick in tempo, and, subsequently, into a slow dirge enhanced with a spoken word sample and a booming bass that is given room to breathe. A melody creeps in later with a nice guitar solo.
A showcase song, “Bargain in Death” easily demonstrates that Temple of Void are a band to watch in future releases. "Of Terror and the Supernatural" is much better than the average death/ doom metal album, and is certainly worthy of your investigation.
