It continues the path taken in the past decade by Temple Of Void, under the banner of a death doom with sullen traits that, if it undeniably takes its cue from Paradise Lost as many claim, sometimes pushes itself near Vallenfyre, which of the historic English band are a logical emanation in the death direction, being a project of Greg Mackintosh. This new full length Summoning The Slayer (the fourth after 2014’s Of Terror and the Supernatural, 2017’s Lords of Death and 2020’s The World That Was) does not upset the subgenre’s customs but exhibits a convincing, compact and well-polished face of it, being by no means devoid of several as appropriate melodic openings. Death doom interpreted in this way becomes a good opportunity for those who appreciate doom but do not disdain its extreme ramifications; the Detroit band offers its best when it remembers to slow down the rhythms, making the sound more enveloping and allowing the lead guitar to weave excellent melodic textures, as happens emblematically in the second track Deathtouch and in the second part of the following Engulfed. Indeed, the violence of the opener Behind the Eye can be disorienting in this regard, while “Lostian” influences appear at times evident as in A Sequence of Rot, but in my opinion this is something that flows into Temple Of Void‘s writing in a way that is quite natural and in any case not reprehensible, given that we are talking mostly about the Halifax band ‘s output up to Shades Of God. The work proves to be concise and prickly, although the leave-taking occurs with a short, alienating track with a psychedelic feel like Dissolution. As far as I am concerned, ever since I discovered them, Temple Of Void continue to be a certainty for those who approach these sounds.

2022 – Relapse Records