When it comes to describing the sound of Death Metal, one tends to attribute a unique style to certain bands. Sometimes it is a combination of different elements, such as speedy and doom parts (ASPHYX), a heavy, slow groove (BOLT THROWER), or a very fast but melodic sound (GOD DETHRONED). In other cases, particular items stand out from the soundscape, for example NILE’s seemingly oriental melodies. With TEMPLE OF DREAD, it is not just one well-played unique feature; neither is it a combination of two or three individual stylistic devices. Instead, an enormous versatility of different elements is embedded within an old school Death Metal sound, citing all of the above-mentioned bands and even more. Whereas ‘World Below’ seems to have some of MOONSPELL’s darkness (minus the Goth factor), ‘Damnation’ is a nod to NILE melody-wise. TEMPLE OF DREAD, like NILE, also use ancient history as a foundation as they reference Greek mythology in their song titles and lyrics. ‘Dance Of Decay’ as well as ‘All-Consuming Fire’ do have a bit of a BOLT THROWER touch. OBITUARY are never really far away either (which goes for many of the album’s songs). These many different facets can be explained by the background of the musicians involved in this band: hailing from the remote North German region of East Frisia, the three-piece contains current and former members of SLAUGHTERDAY and OBSCENITY, with famous extreme metal producer Jörg Uken (Soundlodge Studio) on drums. Moreover, ex-MORGOTH singer Marc Grewe and GOD DETHRONED’s Henri Sattler made guest contributions. This is old school Death Metal, alright, but in a very modern guise. www.facebook.com/templeofdread, www.facebook.com/testimonyrecords