Press release –
Death metallers Temple of Void kick out the jams on their new album, The Crawl, via Relapse Records. The caveman brawn of previous albums, namely Summoning the Slayer (2022), remains, but there’s a wider dynamic on the group’s fifth full-length album at play. Now a quartet—featuring guitarist Alex Awn, drummer Jason Pearce, vocalist/guitarist Mike Erdody, and bassist Justin Malek—the Michiganders aren’t shying away from their non-metal influences, seeking greater integration of grunge (think Soundgarden) or post-punk (think The Cure) with their brutish signature. Singles “The Crawl” and “Soulburn” demonstrate the proficiency of Temple of Void’s death-cloaked, spearheaded attack.
“[The] biggest shift for me on this record was not feeling like we had to fly the ‘death-doom banner’ as part of our identity,” states Alex Awn. “Death-doom, as a genre, gave us something to anchor our sound around when we started. It was always a reference and touchstone. At the same time, we always wanted to make sure we had our own spin on it. We’ve always been adding to the conversation, adding to the genre, giving our point of view. A huge part of what makes a Temple of Void record is the non-death-doom influences that make up our DNA. And on album five we never once asked ourselves, ‘Do we have enough death metal? Do we have enough doom metal?’ We simply wrote a heavy-ass record—let the chips fall where they may.”
Temple of Void was formed in Detroit in 2013. They’ve released four acclaimed full-length albums—Of Terror and the Supernatural (2014), Lords of Death (2017), The World That Was (2020), and Summoning the Slayer (2022)—along with numerous splits with nasties Solothus, Revel in Flesh, Nucleus, Fetid Zombie, and Ectoplasma. The group’s burly, doomy death has been lauded by Decibel, who also collaborated on the Ravenous Eyes in the Distance (2020) flexi disc, Kerrang!, Invisible Oranges, and A&P-REACTS. From the high intensity of opener “Poison Icon” to the granite wall of “The Twin Stranger,” The Crawl isn’t just Temple of Void evolved, it’s a harbinger of death metal to come.
“With the lineup change, my own role and relationship with the band basically shifted with it,” explains Mike Erdody. “I jumped into the guitar position because I thought it would be easier for everyone, plus I just genuinely enjoy playing and feel infinitely more comfortable on stage with a guitar to stand behind. It definitely added a bit more to my plate and made for a completely different creative experience for this album. Alex and I have been in this band together for over a decade, but we’ve never actually sat down with guitars and wrote together until now. The same goes for writing with Jason and Justin. It was a very new experience for everyone involved.”
The Crawl manifested out of a regroup. While Summoning the Slayer had its origins in pandemic ennui, Awn, Pearce, Erdody, and Malek pooled their musical influences and instrumental resources into a formidable vortex. The result is a 7-song album, with each piece vibing on moments instead of drowning in overwrought thinking and production sleights of hand. Cases in point: “Godless Cynic” is tried and true old-school death, but has cool atonality of a vintage Helmet; “The Crawl” has weird Demilich-on-cough-syrup tendrils; “A Dead Issue” is epic in its rock-inflected funereality; and “Soulburn” features a tricky uptempo gait and subdued gothic drama. Death-doom had its comfort zones challenged before, but Temple of Void are rewriting the rules and rewiring the genre with The Crawl.
“A huge appeal of playing in this band and writing a new record with these guys was the fact that there were no pre-conceived ideas of what it was going to sound like,” adds Malek. “It’s obviously going to fall somewhere in the world of death-doom, but being able to contribute a bassline that could live just as easily in a The Cure song as it does on a Temple of Void song is super-exciting as a musician. Playing music for many years with Alex, I knew he would never live in a box. That really was true for everyone. We’re four people who draw from all our influences. We want to make music that we want to listen to, not just add to the pile or appease anyone.”
For lyrics, Erdody built on the psychology and fear themes of Summoning the Slayer. The overarching theme of The Crawl is, put rather simply, an “allegory about life, choices, and consequences.” It’s a qualitative view on the horrors of the human condition and the contemplation of our monstrous capabilities. “The Twin Stranger,” for example, is about being stalked by a person’s doppelganger; “Godless Cynic” draws on a short story by sci-fi author Harlan Ellison; and “Poison Icon” tackles the crushing effects of mankind’s intrinsic nature to deceive and control.
“I was burning the midnight oil pretty badly by the time the recording date arrived,” stresses Erdody. “There wasn’t much time for second-guessing or rewriting with the lyrics on this one. I tried to capitalize on inspiration when it hit and do my best to incorporate elements and themes that we’ve touched upon throughout our discography as a way to kind of come full circle within the context of the band we are today.”
The Crawl was tracked in a single “colder-than-hell” week in January, etched into proverbial obsidian at Kurt Ballou’s GodCity Studio (Gatecreeper, High On Fire) in Salem, MA. Ballou was assisted by engineer Zach Weeks (Deafheaven, Fuming Mouth). Both studio mavens were enlisted by Temple of Void because they wanted a “human”-sounding, spontaneous record. This is evident from the heavy-as-f**k, raw-edged guitar and bass tones, as well as Pearce’s in-the-room drum sound. Ace Brad Boatright, who’s handled everyone from Sleep to Michael Stein and Kyle Dixon (aka Stranger Things), was brought on to master at his Audiosiege Mastering Studio in Portland, OR.
“It was a pretty straight-forward recording experience,” says Erdody. “I tried not to overthink things. We were mostly able to knock out tracking an instrument each day. I spent a couple nights after hours writing and woodshedding the opening solo for ‘Poison Icon,’ but the rest of the leadwork I did for the album was mostly improvisational. I went into GodCity with the goal of being invested in the present and enjoying the whole experience alongside friends without any expectations. I was battling a lot of the usual imposter syndrome-type stuff, but I found Kurt and Zach to be really comfortable to work with. The Crawl is a raw record, but you can hear the humanity, and maintaining that human aspect in music is something that I think is going to be more and more important as time goes by.”
Temple of Void are evolving, rolling their 20-sided die yet again. This time, it’s raw, in-your-face, dissonant, f**king heavy, and absolutely human. Featuring “The Crawl,” “Soulburn” “Godless Cynic,” and “The Twin Stranger,” as well as a captivating “referential” cover art by Travis Smith (Opeth, Death), The Crawl burrows into bone, flays minds, and leaves metalheads wanting more. Venture into the deepest, darkest dungeons, fellow Templars! The Luminous Being awaits.
