Detroit's Death-Doomsayers, Temple of Void, have quickly made a name for themselves over the last few years. The come-up for the Michigan quintet has been fast and fierce—particularly in the last five to six years. Their first full-length record, Of Terror and the Supernatural, caught on for their excellent exploration of doom metal. Their followup meanwhile, Lords of Death, (as the name suggests) garnered critical acclaim for their deep dive into death metal. For a band that has swung so largely across extreme metal's scale, the resultant potential energy they accrued between albums erupts in a ball of fury that is their third record, The World That Was.
The World That Was arrives at the end of March, roughly two and a half years since Lords of Death. Instead of the pendulum finding its way back to full-blown doom, the record halts square in the middle. It's a point of equilibrium between the genres, and within it are new directions—new paths for the string to swing. It's a sinister and grand melange of death and doom riddled with nuances of synthesizers, shoegaze, and grunge. The album's penultimate track is a striking example of that notion.
"Casket of Shame" runs just over seven and a half minutes in length. Bursting into a Bolt Thrower-esque mid-tempo plod, Temple of Void unfurls fiery death metal riffing and positions it next to 90's grunge rhythms and layered synths before transitioning into a near-glacial pace for a brief reprieve. The track is one of six examples of Temple of Void's death-doom acuity on their impending third album.
The World That Was arrives March 27 through Shadow Kingdom Records. Listen to an exclusive stream of "Casket of Shame" now and pre-order the album or pick up other merch from the label and the band itself.
