Review by Adam M on September 28, 2015.

This is an instrumental album that equally straddles the post-metal climate of bands like Pelican as it does black metal instrumental work. The resulting album is one that has a lot of variety and a huge amount of power.

The variation between folk and black metal moments really gives Tempel a strong raison d’etre. The cascading riffs are constantly enveloping on the release and demand repeated listens. Finding a highlight is difficult, but the track Tomb of the Ancients certainly has the right stuff to separate itself from the pack. It is perhaps this track that recalls the likes of Pelican the most with its oceanic type grooves. This is followed by Dawn Breaks Over the Ruins which is an effective and enamoring closing track. Often the gyrations of waves from oceans are the best way to describe the music that is at play here. There is a lot of energy on display on this work and it is given off during the length of each track. To add to the energy is the size of the riffs. They are absolutely gargantuan and add an element of imposing strength to the proceedings. The problem with some bands like Scale the Summit and Animal is Leaders is this inability to bring in riffs that completely rule over the rest of the work. This is why I believe Tempel is slightly more successful than either of those acts. The massive guitar riffs take center stage over the bass, for example. It also makes up for the fact that there are no vocals.

The weightiness of the music on offer here is absolutely huge. The beginning of the album might not be as strong as the end of it, but overall the material is of a very high quality. Any fans of instrumental music, post music, folk or black metal should find something to like here.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10