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Where boom bap drum breaks and black metal vocals collide.

The post Portrayal Of Guilt Reveal Their New Album “…Beginning Of The End”, Two New Singles & A Spring Tour With Street Sects, Etc. appeared first on Theprp.com.

Detroit’s death-doom institution Temple of Void had an interesting journey over their 12-year career. Their 2014 debut split the baby between 90s Peaceville doom and nasty death metal like Asphyx and Bolt Thrower, and the end product was heavy as fook. 2017’s Lords of Death shifted toward death metal without losing any of the crushing, venomous intensity. It wasn’t until 2020s The World That Was that Temple of Void really started experimenting with the scope of their sound as influences like post-metal crept in. When 2022s Summoning the Slayer arrived, it seemed like the band was losing the plot, as their sound became overly pared down and simplistic, causing tedium to set in. That brings us to their fifth album, The Crawl. With a new bassist in tow, the band stated that they set out to write a heavy record without regard to how many death or doom influences were included. In that pursuit, they’ve expanded the scope of their sound to include elements like grunge and Goth for greater dynamism and diversity. Will that be a boon or bane to those who just want another ball-busting, skull-crushing death-doom platter?

I’ll give Temple of Void some credit for spicing up their recipe this time out. Opener “Poison Icon” is a hard-rocking death-meets-stoner-doom meat paste that’s bright and upbeat while managing to remain pretty damn heavy. There’s a rowdy urgency to the riffs that doesn’t fit neatly into death or doom camps, and the segues into hard rock stanzas with guttural death vocals over the top remind me of various melodeath Rogga products and the recent works of Hooded Menace. It’s not the nasty Temple of Void that I long for, but it’s entertaining nonetheless. “Godless Cynic “moves into darker, more grotesque death-doom territory with riffs that slither and snake all over, and when teamed with really hostile death vocals, things feel threatening and dangerous. It’s one of the album highlights, and it reminds me of the long-forgotten, criminally underrated Dutch doom band Another Messiah, which is a win in my book. ¹ The title track is classic death-doom designed to pulverize and pummel. It does the job well, and the riffs are grisly fun as they swing from death stomp to doom plod.

Things also heat up on “A Dead Issue,” as discordant leads and eerie keyboards conspire to create an ominous, unsettling soundscape. The dreamy, ethereal guitars that weave in and out add another layer and make for a dynamic listen. The 7:41 closer “The Twin Stranger” is ferocious, with huge riffs dropping from the sky like spiked anvils. There’s enough forward momentum tank chugs to recall the glory days of Bolt Thrower and the pacing keeps the song from feeling as long as it is. Not every track is as successful at world-building, though. “Thy Mountain Eternal” attempts to cram an epic Viking metal element into the death-doom foundation, but ultimately ends up sounding more like recycled Omnium Gatherum than Ereb Altor, and at just under 7-minutes, it drags on too long. At 41-plus minutes, The Crawl is just about the ideal length for this kind of fare, and though there are moments of bloat to be found, most of the tracks are fairly fit and spry. The production gives the guitars enough raw power to intimidate, and those death vocals will shake the molars out of your head.

The Temple of Void edifice is highly reliant on the riff firepower brought to bear, and Alexander Awn and Michael Erdody bring enough explosives to flatten a small city. Yes, they dabble in outside influences, but this is a death-doom album at heart, and the bulldozing leads aim to harm. The rock, Goth, and other outside elements decorate the riffs, but they don’t replace the hammer and axe. There are many hook-tastic leads and smoking solos to absorb, and the diversity keeps things from feeling like a monolithic slog. Erdody’s large-scale death roars are highly effective, and he keeps things heavy no matter what genre the guitars decide to visit. It’s really the writing that elevates The Crawl beyond what was heard on Summoning the Slayer. This is a much more ambitious, adventurous outing, and it sounds like the band felt more confident and free to develop their sound this time out.

I came into The Crawl concerned that Temple of Void was going to evolve right into an early grave, but the material here is full of life, liberty, and the pursuit of the best bits of death and doom. There’s variety and inventiveness, but it will still flatten your ass regularly. I doubt they will ever give us another Lords of Death, but this ain’t so bad in its stead. Visit the newly renovated Temple.

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Rating: 3.5/5.0
DR: NA | Format Reviewed: Fucking STREAM!!
Label: Relapse
Websites: templeofvoid.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/templeofvoid | instagram.com/templeofvoid
Releases Worldwide: March 6th, 2026

The post Temple of Void – The Crawl Review appeared first on Angry Metal Guy.

Seattle‑based metal outfit Witch Ripper have revealed another preview of their upcoming third full‑length, Through The Hourglass, with the release of the track “The Clock Queen”. You can check it out below. The new record is scheduled for an April 10th release through Magnetic Eye Records.
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With Sebastian Bach taking over for the now retired Dee Snider so Twisted Sister can move forward with their 50th anniversary reunion plans, it seems another lineup change is needed before things can progress. In a recent announcement post made on his Instagram, ex-Ace Frehley drummer Joey Cassata revealed that he’ll be behind the drum kit for the run of anniversary shows.

Cassata, who was most recently featured on Ace Frehley’s last solo album 10,000 Volts came off as incredibly excited for the opportunity to play with this Bach-fronted version of Twisted Sister.

“SUPER excited (and beyond honored) to be drumming for this LEGENDARY band!!

“I’ve been an SMF since I was 8 years old… and now this?! Absolutely surreal.

“YOU CAN’T STOP ROCK AND ROLL!! Let’s gooooo!!!”

The announcement comes on the heels of guitarists Jay Jay French and Eddie Ojeda’s confirmation that as long as they don’t interfere with existing plans, Bach was going to handle vocals for Twisted Sister when they perform at a handful of select dates this coming fall.

As you may recall, the original plan was for Snider, French, and Ojeda to go on tour for a run of reunion shows this year. Sadly, those plans changed last month when Snider stepped down from the band due to lingering health issues.

As it stands, the band is now comprised of Bach on vocals, Ojeda and French on guitar, Russel Pzütto on bass since Mark Mendoza wasn’t participating, and now Cassata on drums. Originally, Joe Franco was going to step in for the late A.J. Pero on drums, but that didn’t come to fruition.

Now with the lineup cemented, it’s looking like the reunion shows are back on. Once those dates are announced, we’ll have those for you.

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The post Twisted Sister Tap Ace Frehley’s Drummer Joey Cassata for Reunion Plans appeared first on MetalSucks.

Imagine that you’re at the pool and someone is playing, like, a Dido song incredibly loud on glitchy, damaged YouTube speakers. You stick your head underwater to avoid the sound, but you can still hear it, and it suddenly sounds all blurry and beautiful. The new Full Body 2 single is kind of like that.…

The post Full Body 2 – “Turn So Slow” appeared first on Stereogum.

Their UK headlining tour with Cage Fight commences later this month.

The post Employed To Serve Premiere “Now Thy Kingdom Come” Music Video appeared first on Theprp.com.

Carla dal Forno is back. The reliably good Australian singer-songwriter has a new album called Confession coming in April, and today, she’s announcing the follow-up to 2022’s Come Around with the lead single “Going Out.” Dal Forno wrote Confession, which she says is about “a friendship that became emotionally charged in an unexpected way,” in…

The post Carla dal Forno Announces New Album <em>Confession</em>: Hear “Going Out” appeared first on Stereogum.

Rustie, the overwhelmingly influential pop-maximalist Scottish producer, took a long hiatus for mental health reasons after he released his surprise album EVENIFUDONTBELIEVE in 2015. In 2023, he returned with the single “Black Ice Mudra,” and then he disappeared again. More recently, though, he’s been quietly posting new tracks on YouTube, and they show that the…

The post Rustie – “Trizkel Sun” appeared first on Stereogum.

Sometimes, first albums by a musician or a band are underwhelming but labels have enough faith in their signings that they send such a record to languish on a shelf – for some time, at least. That’s exactly what happened … Continue reading →

The post MOTÖRHEAD Box Up “On Parole” appeared first on DMME.net.

A brief teaser is available to look at in advance.

The post Mike Patton (Faith No More, Etc.) To Guest On New Jehnny Beth Single “Look At Me” appeared first on Theprp.com.