The newest release retains some of the crushing death-doom tempos, while leaning even more on heaviness. Although I was not quite impressed by some of the songs, this time the band has upped the fire-powered riffs by giving songs a mixed direction of inspirations.

The opening, “Poison Icon”, maintains the balance between heavy tempos and elements of stoner doom; the quartet Mike Erdody (vocals, guitars), Alex Awn (guitar), Justin Malek (bass), and Jason Pearce (drums) skillfully manage to convey an up-tempo with ominous growls that immerse you in the lead guitar melodies. Some of the gothic elements would remind fans of Type O Negative, especially the catchy keyboards that seep in with 90s gothic woven into the guitars.

It is also noticeable that there are plenty of heavy-oriented riffs included in each of the seven tracks. While “Godless Cynic” grasps the ultimate heaviness. The post-metal style is subtly used as a canvas to create soundscapes. This unexpected direction then suddenly crumbles under the crushing hammer of death-doom “The Crawl”, which is one of the highlights. The death-doom-oriented tracks are the core of the album, but the diversity has brought some catchy gothic tunes.

Mike Erdody’s growls and the slow undercurrent guitar chords give the song an appealing, ominous aura. However, Temple of Void does not emphasize crushing doom metal or dark meandering tempos too often, and this is one thing that the band avoids on their fifth album.

Tracks like “A Dead Issue” draw more on synth, whereas the guitars meander into mystical style, the guitar sound crunchier, with synth and ethereal melodic death metal emerging into the ether. The synth adds a mystic flavor to the shimmering melodies that fade in and out of the background.

Another highlight is the track “Thy Mountain Eternal”, which begins with a catchy guitar intro, and the slow atmospheric sound permeates different moods, including stoner doom and death metal. The new songs have turned out to be more atmospheric and heavier; their catchy solos and lead guitars keep the tempos at full pace in the next track, “Soulburn”. which carries catchy melodic lines throughout, riffs are heavy, and the synth provides sweet earworm fills.

The dark growling style is inspired by melodic death metal. The album has a very modern sound with emotive moments and warm guitar tones; the band’s sound has become more open and melodic.

The groovy guitars create twisted yet memorable diversity, and their meditative aura allows the listener’s thoughts to wander. The closing track, “The Twin Stranger”, is a crushing soundtrack for fans of death-doom metal; the guitars stumble into dark mid-tempo sections. The band’s unique composition and individual skills combine heavy riffs and pummeling drums.

Finally, the Michigan four-piece may not have raised the bar on “The Crawl”, but after a few listens, I can say that the new album features some good tracks, and this is a step-up compared to the previous one.

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