The Temple - must doom always be such a boring, low-skill genre?

The Temple

Of Solitude Triumphant

November 26th, 2022

I Hate Records

It is understandable that audiences may have reached doom fatigue, given the high number of doom-based entities that spring up in such a non-stop fashion. Stoner, sludge, psychedelic, epic doom, drone, death doom, retro, black doom, atmospheric doom, bass-and-drum doom, funeral, and many others are categories of the slow-poke sounds. Some people have observed that doom is accessible. It's simple and minimalistic and that's not difficult on the ears for fans; and the unskilled musicians can play doom, too. Other people, like some thrash maniacs, often dislike the entire premise of doom music. To them, doom, just like its depressed ancestor the blues, is a puritan zealot spying on people based on the suspicion that somewhere, anywhere, someone may be having fun with music.

It is not until a person hears a quality doom band like The Temple that one is reminded of how good this type of music can be. Yes, it is slow pretty much throughout all the songs. Not super slow, that's a different thing, that's funeral-related subgenres. This is slow in the way that Candlemass or Solitude Aeturnus are slow: slow, generally somber music but the band is not trying to be the slowest one ever. Again, that's a different thing, that's the funeral subgenre. Now, granted, this Greek band The Temple is somber and it is not fun or party metal, that's for sure.

However, The Temple is an example of how good doom can be. First, there is a ton of melody all over the songs. Thus, it is not just super slow echoing chugging in a minimalistic manner. The effort to create melody is fundamental here. If a person gives the album a chance, it is the melody that will stand out at first and it may be the only reason necessary. Second, the singing is melodic. While it is true that the singing is not rah-rah fun rocking heavy metal like you find in the classic bands like Judas Priest, Van Halen, 1980s Iron Maiden or Scorpions, the singing here sounds very good to ears, but there is a caveat: the voice does, in fact, sound depressed and depressing. It is crooning, melodic singing and it will not make the listener want to party, but it will make the listener contemplate this particular doom mood and dare I say it, if the listener sticks around and does not run away in fear of experiencing sorrowful music, this will end up being enjoyable, even fun, if I can use that word, if the listener allows the music to do what is made to do.

If the reader has gotten this far, then let's end saying that this album by The Temple is an exceptional doom work. While I would never recommend any sludge or funeral doom to an unsuspecting soul without giving a warning, The Temple is a somberly happy middle ground: It is not super slow, and it is so melodic that patient audiences might just find themselves feeling a great deal of melancholic joy, if that makes sense.

Of Solitude Triumphant by The Temple

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