Review TEMPLE OF DREAD “God of the Godless”

Shaped by the winter storms of the North Sea, Temple of Dread began their death metal journey in 2017. Hailing from Spiekeroog, one of the East Frisian Islands, the band quickly became one of the most important representatives of German death metal. What helped the band establish themselves in the German metal community are numerous live shows, but also four longplayers, with number five ready to hit the shelves.

“God of the Godless” is the title of Temple Of Dread’s new nine-track longplayer. The trio picks up again where they left off with the excellent “Beyond Acheron” release. Brutal death metal inspired by the genre’s greats from Florida is what the new album delivers. It’s a massive storm of riffs that challenges your eardrums. At the same time Temple Of Dread don’t put all their eggs in one basket, meaning that the focus is not only on speed. The guys put a lot of subtle aggression into their songs, which is reflected in tracks like the furious “Spawn Of Filth”.

In addition, Temple Of Dread add some twists to their album, which contributes a lot to a great flow while listening to these nine neck-breaking death metal anthems. “Black Scream” has to be mentioned in this context. Not only do the songs start with a dark and sinister intro. It’s also a Slayer-ish thrash metal vibe that makes “Black Scream” something special.

Photo: Tom Hoffmann

Steamroller-like is “Sacrificial Dawn,” which passes the baton to the title track. “God of the Godless” is a dark and oppressive song, kept in a slower tempo. It is like an atmospheric song that opens the gates to the chasm. In a way, this also reflects the thematic approach of the trio. It is again the Greek underworld that provides the inspiration for the Lyircs. As on the previous album, the ferryman appears on the album artwork, with Charon returning to become the new god of the dead.

“Prophetic Misanthropy” creates a sonic counterpart to the title track, as the song is like a slap in the face – hard and straightforward. A strong bass line and a massive riff kick off “Monstrosity Divine”. A maelstrom-like riffing provides the foundation for a song that shows great musicianship.

With “Terminal Putrefaction” the album carries another musical blast and hands over to “Demise of Olympus”. The acoustic intro to the songs speaks to the versatility of the album and the creative mindset of the band during the songwriting process. “Demise Of Olympus” is one of the best songs Temple Of Dread have ever written and released. Built on a monstrous riff and a rock solid groove, the song shows different twists and turns with the acoustic momentum coming back regularly. This song is Temple Of Dread’s masterpiece and shows that great music doesn’t depend on Houdini riffs. It is the atmosphere and the authenticity of what comes out of the speakers that makes an album successful and there is a lot of that great stuff captured on “God Of The Godless”.

Temple Of Dread have become an integral part of the European death metal scene in recent years. They came to stay.