Temisto

Temisto

Temisto

label: Pulverised

Release: 26 February 2016

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I have noticed that some people call Temisto (Sweden) death metal and others are hesitant to do so, and some others seem to hear more of a black metal vibe. Temisto, formerly Chapel, is Leo Ekström Sollenmo and Sebastian Lindbom Gunnari, who recognize no boundaries for extreme metal between death metal, black metal, black thrash, war metal, old school death metal, and traditional death metal. Temisto is not too far from the general spirit of old Watain and Nifelheim. In some ways, Temisto sounds like today’s incarnation of the bestial metal of the first EP by Sodom and Destruction, the first EP and album by Sepultura, the first album by Sarcófago, so on and so forth. The vocals are far from the normal growling found in the dominant subgenres of death metal. Instead, the vocals are more maniacal, throat-ripping black metal crazed screams. It’s all feeling: possessed by lunatic growling and screaming, and it sounds awesome.

The fast guitar and drumming are another attractive aspect of the recording. The riffing runs through the black thrash, deaththrash and black metal repertoire of signature moves, and fast soloing. The drumming is barbaric and convincing. Temisto prefers for the recording to sound like underground metal, not too melodic and clean. However, do not mistake this barbaric metal for lack of skill. There is melody all over the place, but it’s done in the way appropriate for the genre. Also, there most definitely are riffs in abundance. This is not one of those “groove” albums that is all loud volume and chugging. Furthermore, unlike some bands in this genre, Temisto works at making the songs different from each other. There are even some passages or interludes of atmosphere that you will find surprising. By doing that the band shows that they are not afraid of adding moods and emotions to the album, and it makes them sound confident and strong.

Logically, I have no idea what’s gotten into the heads of Temisto, who they are musically or even where they come from in terms of music. Be that as it may, but on this recording they have put together an album that has interested me in several ways, as I have been trying to explain above. I have not been listening to this album just for a review. I hear a whole bunch of big and small details that are worth looking into, if you want an extreme metal band that is beyond the novelty of playing fast (which they do) for the sake of speed, noise and brutality. It sounds to me like there’s an effort to have creativity and extremity on guitar. Naturally, the vocals are more than just some guy growling away on the mic, it’s not another complacent “brutal death metal” band.

Temisto, as you can imagine, works with a rather raw production on purpose. On this particular matter is where the band will encounter some objections in some quarters, especially from those that demand a super clean production or from those that require the sounds of a bigger budget. Now, Temisto is no amateur-sounding or youthful inexperience like the Death or Hellhammer demos, but it’s still a chaotic sound overall, still dirty, still nasty. Some want the necro, some want the clinically perfect sounds. THere's no way to please everyone.

By the way, those in the know might find it agreeable to learn that this album was produced by ex-Morbus Chron frontman Robert Andersson with Elias Scharmer (ex-Abduction, ex-Mutilate), and mastered at Necromorbus Studio by Tore Stjerna (Watain, Desultory, Repugnant, etc). Apparently, a precursor of Temisto was called Whore, which ended around 2011 or so. Temisto had a demo in 2013 and now this is the debut and it was recorded in 2015.

At any rate, one thing is beyond dispute, Temisto is obscurantist extreme metal that leans heavily towards the bestial/barbaric variety. They have a bit of experience and have been around the block a time or two. All in all, the recording offers the listener the knowledge of that experience for an album that brings imagination to the execution of primal metal. This album is a keeper.

www.pulverised.bandcamp.com/album/temisto

www.facebook.com/Temisto-1759035924307810/

www.pulverised.net

www.facebook.com/pulverisedrecords/