TEMPLE OF PAIN (Lord Of The Undead Knights) LP/CD
Due to the band name I expected the worst goth rock, but when I noticed that TEMPLE OF PAIN is a new project from Fabio 'Thunder' Bellan (mainly known as the mind behind Thunderstorm) it was clear to me that this CD takes off in a proper doom metal direction. Fortunately, I was not mistaken then. Bellan takes his morbid visions to another level with this debut release from TEMPLE OF PAIN. He is assisted in this by drummer Dario Fava as well as a couple of guest musicians. The performance is brutally heavy and dark, yet the songs still retain memorable, well-developed melodies. There is a musty dark ages vibe on 'Lord Of The Undead Knights', that never becomes corny. These are two points, which make sure that each of the five tracks (including the intro) aroused my interest.
Although it's only an EP, the playing time reaches a maximum length of 33:28 minutes, which means that all tunes, except for the intro, are epic as fuck. It is thus clear that TEMPLE OF PAIN prefer to play epic doom metal, and fortunately they avoid weepiness and weakness. The songs, driven by oppressive Stonehenge-sized riffs, oscillate between mid-paced and slow and bulldoze everything around. In vain does one seek cheerful moments in the songs, which are also suitable for the next medieval decapitation. This is definitely the darkest stuff ever written by Fabio Bellan. And even if he is not the most talented vocalist under the moon, one must acknowledge that his portentous and pathetic style is perfectly suited to the dark brooding sound. So if you're a fan of genre-defining doom metal bands such as Solitude Aeturnus, Candlemass or Solstice then you should make room in your collection for TEMPLE OF PAIN. It is definitely no mistake.
(KK)