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The World that Was

by Temple Of Void

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  • Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album

    SHADOW KINGDOM RECORDS is proud to present TEMPLE OF VOID's highly anticipated third album, The World That Was, on CD, vinyl LP and cassette tape formats.

    It was but the summer of 2017 when TEMPLE OF VOID unleashed upon the world their second album, Lords of Death, through SHADOW KINGDOM. Presciently titled, Lords of Death catapulted the Detroit quintet onto the radars of everyone in the underground and above - not for nothing, as this critically acclaimed second album saw TEMPLE OF VOID elevate the doom-death idiom most masterfully, even more so than their cult debut album, Of Terror and the Supernatural, which SHADOW KINGDOM reissued to a worldwide audience in 2015, two years after its initial release. But, like all masters, satisfaction is the death of desire, and hereby do TEMPLE OF VOID strive to eclipse their past (monumental) accomplishments with LP#3, The World That Was.

    Graced by unforgettable cover artwork courtesy of Adam Burke, The World That Was takes the listener on the most cohesive journey TEMPLE OF VOID have crafted to date. From that cover art featuring five figures sailing down the river into the gaping maw of a fiery mountain temple, being led by Charon, to the sequencing of the tracks, ending in the epic, nearly 10-minute title track, The World That Was is a winding, windswept landscape dotted with surprising twists and turns, much of it unexpected territory whilst undoubtedly feeling very much like classic TEMPLE OF VOID. Whereas the band's first album skewed more doom and the second more death, The World That Was seemingly slots in between the two poles, mountainous as ever. More accurately, the scales perhaps might tip more "doom" here, but the manner in which TEMPLE OF VOID express that doom has definitely broadened: they're proudly a doom-death band, but on evidence of this third album, they're painting with even more colors in their no-less-crushing palette.

    Of note within that palette are the synths and sound design employed across The World That Was, collectively/alternately provided by Omar Jon Ajluni, Meredith Davidson, and Alex Awn. These synths add a cohesion and depth to the album that truly makes it more cinematic and atmospheric whilst not once lessening TEMPLE OF VOID's heavyweight aspect. Granted, synths have featured on every TEMPLE OF VOID album, but their incorporation/synthesis here reflects a maturity and refinement of atmosphere that eclipses anything the band have done before.

    Perhaps most revealingly, TEMPLE OF VOID's pool of influences have shaped this bold refinement. As Alex Awn explains, "This album sees a considerable outside influence from the likes of Alice in Chains, Failure, Pearl Jam, and Ride. However, don’t expect to hear these bands creep up overtly. This is still very much a death-doom record; there’s no U-turn in sound. It’s just that we draw from a very deep well of disparate influences to create the unique sound that is TEMPLE OF VOID. Details, ideas, structures, tones, and chords may come from grunge or shoegaze, but we blend them and incorporate in our own way, so it never feels like a pastiche. The likes of Morbid Angel and Bolt Thrower still fuel the backbone of what we do."

    And that backbone should definitely appeal to fans of Asphyx, early Amorphis, early Katatonia, Morgoth, early Paradise Lost, Hooded Menace, and of course the aforementioned Bolt Thrower. The World That Was is a frightening place to behold, so enter TEMPLE OF VOID's realm if you dare!

    Includes unlimited streaming of The World that Was via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
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1.
The Body Placed on an open slab Autopsy Seeking the cause of death Incisions To find the clues inside Necropsy For it is not a man. Unknown beast, like none have seen. Brought to us by frightened men, whose silver shots had done it in. For this creature hunted them. Tearing through bodies and then; Feasting muscle. Draining blood. Until those men had enough. A call to arms within the town to find the beast and bring it down. Full moon hunter. Wolven creature of hell. Stalking horror. Unearthly lycanthrope. Cold eyes. Coarse fur. Gnashing fangs stripping bone. A single silver bullet ends this nightmare.
2.
Self-Schism 06:28
Lord of the irons, yet master of none. White hot from the pyre, but the damage is done. The wax has melted; reveal the wick within Begin total bisect. My fingers grip the skin. Blood flows downward when the nails dig in. Scalp detaches; bregmatic cranial split. Self-Schism: The last chance of escape. Devour the hours until darkness is left The mind exposed so the illness can drain. Hemispherical rupture; cerebral chasm remains. Let division continue. Palates and ribs break. Organ partition fall to feed the snakes. Self-Schism: The last chance of escape. Devour the hours until only darkness is left. Only darkness is left. Pace slips from my life. Dread consumes.
3.
4.
From this shore your journey awaits, A million souls sent from different fates. A caravan but for a fee, Or be banished to roam for centuries. One coin of silver within my grasp, to lead you through this treacherous path. The rivers of death we’ll cross with grace, deliverance to the final resting place. Your face is different, but we’ve met before. In the end it’s all the same. I’ve made this voyage so many times, I can leave the light behind. A torch through the fog can light the way, revealing the specters who could not pay. Phantasmally drifting throughout time, with mournful screams that haunt my mind. The crack of the oar pushes the wake, parting the black, revealing below monstrosities of the river deep, and sinners who drowned in their watery keep. Chorus Do you dare to look over the edge? I’ve looked and accept what I am, for death has been good to me. You may find your reflection looks right at home.
5.
Where is my disconnect? Where is my sanity? It’s been crushed to death under humanity. Illusion of joy, just to placate this meandering existence. Oh what a fool I am, scattering myself like this. Clawing at the ground; dredging the abyss. Decades of lessons lost, imperatives left to neglect. Rotten through. Too little and much too late. This casket of shame Lowered into a plot with no name The solitude I crave, Will only come from the grave. Pitch-black free-fall from an unknown depth. We all stay slumbering until we hit the floor As for me, I’ll sleep when I’m dead. Chorus Lost time is never recovered, when gambled and squandered away. Seconds die, as do we. Choose your path ever-wisely. Chorus
6.
The sun, it burns my tired eyes and shakes my core, as I ascend from a home that exists no more. No Pain - No Fear - No War - No Life. My sword, battle-torn, lie lifeless as I. Have the gods had enough? Was all this for naught? Now gone are the moons of yesterday, and the hopes of tomorrow’s sons. Will this nightmare finally end? Or has it just begun? What does the future hold? Or will the future die with us as one? Our bodies pulled towards the vortex, as the light swallows us whole. Centuries of endless war, Destroyed in an incinerating flash. For in the end the void takes it all away; leaving behind but a memory of a world that was.

about

Thanks to the following headbangers:
Eric Blanchard (a true Templar), Ralf & Revel in Flesh, Markus & Sadistik Forest, Lasse & Hooded Menace, Anton, Chuck & Rotting Kingdom, Enrique & Crypt Sermon, Kari Kankaanpää & Solothus, Midnight, Mutilatred, Dutch and Taphos Nomos, Tomb Mold, Spirit Adrift, Ruinous, Trevor & the Black Dahlia Murder, Joe & Octopus, Mike & Warhorses, Demon Bitch, Fell Ruin, Isenblast, Centenary, Perversion, Cruthu, Tim & Shadow Kingdom Records, Eric & Unspeakable Axe Records, Albert & the crew at Decibel Magazine, Brad Wharton, Shane Merrill, Hasan, Will & Atlas Brewery, Steve Sommerville, Sam Fox, Dax in Toronto, Sam Lenz and the Warhammer / painting community, Clint Ford, Adam Burke, Tito Vespasiani, Iron City Gym in Waterford, Matt Hayes, the whole Pearce family, Amy Satterly, Pickle*, Marie & River Awn, Clyde Wilson & Vinny, Omar Jon Ajluni, Meredith Davidson, Adam Grignon, Don & Rima Horne, The Old Mill Crew (Dennis, Marv & Solo), James McCracken, Michael Woods, Jeff Pyles, Mike Itchue, The Lawry Family (Mark, Kari, Deven and Jorden), and most importantly... Jim Moore, Damian Juarez, Lawson Rains, Tracey Slayers, Keith Justus, Adam Mouyianis, Sophie Cox, Travis Taylor, Kalman Kovacs, Harrison Buchanan, Jeffrey Karrick, Josh Thacker, Kevin Ehbets, Todd Nabozny, Nick Dahm, Alex Saraceni, Robert Lyons, Jared Ginsberg, Andrew Thomas, Danny Protze, and all the other die-hard fans who continue to support us. Skol!

credits

released March 27, 2020

Alex Awn - Guitars
Don Durr - Guitars
Mike Erdody - Vocals
Jason Pearce - Drums
Brent Satterly - Bass

Words & Music by Temple of Void
Recorded at Mount Doom Studio, Warren, MI. August 2019
Engineered & Mastered by Clyde Wilson
All guitars on “A Single Obolus”
by Mike Erdody
Synths on “Casket of Shame” and “Self-Schism” by Meredith Davidson
Synths on “The World that Was” and
“A Beast Among Us” by Omar Jon Ajluni
Synths on “Leave the Light Behind” by Alex Awn
Cover Painting by Adam Burke
Cover Retouching by Clint Ford
Band Photo by Marvin Shaouni
Live Photos by Chris Betea & Erick Buchholz
Original logo by Alex Awn,
refresh by Mark Riddick
Original sigil by Alex Awn and Eric Blanchard, bone sigil refresh by MFAXII The True
Filigree by Marie Awn
Layout by Alex Awn
worshipthevoid@gmail.com
templeofvoid.bandcamp.com
facebook.com/templeofvoid
youtube.com/templeofvoid
instagram.com/templeofvoid

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Temple Of Void Detroit, Michigan

ToV is an uncompromising collaboration from the depths of Detroit. Comprising of musicians who have put in decades of time in the Detroit underground, ToV entered this world with singular focus and methodical execution from the start. ToV harkens back to the somber sound of early British doom, while channeling the energy and devastation of old school American death metal. ToV destroys all. ... more

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