Scandinavia is renowned for producing some of the most innovative, raw and unique extreme metal the world has to offer. If there were any words to describe Swedish duo Temisto, they would definitely be “innovative,” “raw,” and “unique”, as the duos first full length self-titled release is a fascinating hybrid between Darkthrone’s Total Death and Soulside Journey and Opeth’s Damnation.
Despite referring to themselves as Death Metal, Temisto reside much more within the realms of Black Metal with this album. On the heavier tracks on the album, Temisto offer relentless speed and insane riffs so furious that they border on grindcore at points. There are some more blackened death tracks on the album such as fourth track Medusa, an explosive number with plenty of old school black metal and a definite influence of the mighty Chuck Schuldiner on the vocals. Third track Abysmal Depths also has a powerful death metal twang to it at the beginning too before fading into some gentle acoustic sounds.
As previously mentioned, Temisto offers some pleasant, soft acoustic songs to the mix as well as gnarly Black Metal. Fifth track The Ritual is a beautiful and relaxing listen throughout and closing track Séance is another floaty and mysterious number that could easily send listeners to sleep its so calming.
Temisto also has some furiously fast numbers on it too. Track eight Bestial Visions and track nine Temple of the Damned both are both brilliant examples of Temisto’s thunderous, erratic black metal side to their persona, with incredibly fast riffs throughout that keep the listener hooked nicely. Another increasingly speedy number on Temisto is The Succubus. This monster of a track is so frantically fast that it borders on grind at points. The Succubus is a very energetic track and a stark contrast from its relaxing predecessor the emotive and soothing The Ritual.
Temisto’s self-titled debut album is an inventive and enjoyable listen with an interesting crossover between intense, gnarly black metal and gentle, acoustic sounds. If you can imagine a brilliant hybrid between Darkthrone’s masterpiece Soulside Journey and Opeth’s Damnation then you’ve got Temisto. The album is not exclusively death metal by any stretch of the imagination as the band profess it to be, so don’t expect anything brutal or overtly technical, however you’re guaranteed to encounter some commanding black metal and soothing sounds juxtaposed together perfectly. If you like your metal to be original and off the beaten track then Temisto is perfect for you.
(7/10 Eilish Foxen)
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