temple of the void

Temple Of Void - "Graven Desires" (Song Premiere)

The analytics inform me that very few Invisible Oranges readers are from Michigan, and ergo very very few are from Detroit. Assuming that these numbers about hold true across the metal internet (and why wouldn’t they?) it’s understandable that people’s jaws may not drop at the mere existence of Temple of Void. The band is a murderer’s row of Detroit scene veterans. Singer Mike Erdody, also of Acid Witch and Harbinger, formerly of Borrowed Time, is by himself one of the most stacked musicians I can think of. Rhythm, lead, growl, sing, homeboy does all of it. That kind of pedigree marbles the whole band. Don Durr, the guitarist, is a veritable encyclopedia of riffs—and he’s the new guy.

The outfit’s upcoming album, Lords of Death goes a fair bit to undermine the death-doom tag the band’s been saddled with before. Really, we need an agreed-upon descriptor for growling and chunky riffs played at a comfortable midtempo, still with rolling double bass below it. That’s Temple of Void’s new idiom, and it works for them. Determined, that’s the word. Each riff, each piece of each song feels necessary and distinct, “Graven Desires” especially so. The song comes at near the end of the album, and the near choral clean singing that closes it out gives the whole affair an air of the epic. Of course Shadow Kingdom records is putting it out (on July 28 FWIW)

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