Temple_Nightside_-_The_Hecatomb

Temple Nightside - 'The Hecatomb' (Album Premiere)

Temple_Nightside_-_The_Hecatomb

Hecatomb. In case you’re not a nerd for Greek mythology, or haven’t read China Mieville’s Iron Council, it means ‘holy massacre.’ This week it also means an album’s worth of murking and lurking death metal. Jon Rosenthal wrote about it yesterday, and said:

I’m generally a grump about the whole “cavernous death metal” thing, which essentially, at least in my opinion, fizzled out around 2010. Granted, there are always exceptions to the rule. I wasn’t super impressed with Temple Nightside’s prior work, primary songwriter IV’s songwriting with Ill Omen generally resonated a little more within me, but The Hecatomb is a strong reiteration of a tired genre. Though the “cavernous” trappings of muddy production and general incoherence are inescapable, there are these moments of clarity which truly showcase this “supergroup”‘s (features members of Vassafor, Blasphemy, Nasxul, Grave Upheaval, the aforementioned Ill Omen and more) musical chops. For a style so deeply embedded in sloppy technique, there is a surprisingly tight, practiced performance hidden beneath the endless layers of distortion.

Not convinced? Just dive in to the slaughter already.

The Hecatomb will be released on August 5 by Iron Bonehead Productions.