As far as I'm concerned there's never going to be enough H.P. Lovecraft in anything. And thanks to the internet he's only growing more and more in popularity. The mythos and cult have taken on new shapes and forms with the dedicated fanbase that has built since he became the godfather of modern horror. So when bands take to paying tribute, or using his mythos, I'm immediately there. And the crusties in Temple of Dagon are another band that have joined the cult.
Having formed in 2009, Temple of Dagon haven't done much in terms of releases. Their 2009 EP The Book of Azathoth and 2014's Rituals of the Deep (which I missed last year) are the only pieces they have to their name. Still, the summoning of the idiot god and a trip to Innsmouth should be on the to-do list for anyone invested in crust punk/metal and Lovecraft's universe. However, instead of waiting for another dreaming god to wake, Temple of Dagon are on the move with their latest EP Revelations of the Spirit.
How much do you like Tragedy? That should be the first question you ask yourself before entering the Temple of Dagon. Revelations of the Spirit is something you'd likely find stirring at the beating pulse of crust punk/metal. Songs remnants of Tragedy's Nerve Damage and Darker Days Ahead the way the way impressionism art evokes the thoughts of Edgar Degas or Vincent Van Gogh. The difference being that Temple of Dagon hit the heavy pedal a little harder. Though the band never feels like they're moving at a break-neck speed. It's the methodical, crushing, punk-inspired tempo that gets the band moving with locomotive mentality, which sometimes evokes more of a creeping terror (see: “The Wandering Spirit”).
Concerning the songwriting, there isn't much that the crust genre hasn't heard before. The songs are all solid compositions and the artwork of the album is stellar. The more one listens to it, the more it seems that something sinister is waiting to be unlocked. From “The Evocation” to “The Horrid King” (which I'm pretty sure is a reference to Robert W. Chambers' The King in Yellow, a massive influence on Lovecraft's stories) the band feels like they're pulling together something frothing and angry. The two following tracks help solidify this.
When it comes to Lovecraft in music a lot of people probably think of Electric Wizard or the almighty Portal. Temple of Dagon are a different genre for the sound and not unwelcome. They bring a solid, kick ass crust attitude to the subject matter. Does it sound like the end of days? More like a summoning ritual. The riffs are catchy, the sound is crunchy and the band isn't concerning themselves with being the fastest people in the crowd. Revelations of the Spirit is a good taste of things to come. As far as their esoteric order is concerned, I'm sure they can continue to take on the forces they trifle with. But I'd like to see what happens when they lose control.
As always, you can find me here.
