ALBUM REVIEW: Hades Unleashed – Temple Of Dread
In Greek mythology, Hades is the god of the dead and the king of the underworld. Hades is the caretaker of souls, keeping them from returning to the land of living. The Voldemort of Greek mythology, Hades is a fearsome figure whose name was as frightening as his deeds. Feared and loathed, Hades is the true embodiment of the inexorable finality of death. On their third album in as many years, European death metal’s best kept secret TEMPLE OF DREAD soundtracks the sheer terror of the ancient deity unleashing his wrath on the world. Hades Unleashed is a blistering battering ram of bludgeoning blast beats and riotous riffs that are as majestically melodic as they are mind-numbingly devastating.
If 2019’s Blood Craving Mantras and 2020’s World Sacrifice were tantalising tributes to old-school death metal, Hades Unleashed is the sound of TEMPLE OF DREAD exploring an abyss of speed, thrash and technical death metal. If the trio were once seen as rising stars of the underground scene, they’re surely now invading the overworld and raging war against the landscape of death metal as we know it.
Opener Aithon’s Hunger forgoes death metal traditions for an all killer no filler approach. Long gone are the instrumental openers and atmospheric interludes. In their place, you’ll find thrash metal shredding that slices open your throat like Stone Cold cracking open a cold one and an underlying melody that’ll have you moving like you’ve taken speed for the first time. It’s a formula TEMPLE OF DREAD closely follow throughout Hades Unleashed. It’s 40 minutes of unrelenting hell unleashed upon your eardrums. Multi-instrumentalist Markus Bünnemeyer and drummer Jörg Uken unleash an aural assault that bleeds old-school death metal into a world where MOTÖRHEAD and VENOM were one and the same.
Of course, there’s plenty of experimenting that sets Hades Unleashed apart from its arguably stellar predecessors. Threefold Agony is definitive death-thrash, jam-packed with spin-kicking riffs that open up the mosh-pit of your mind as demolition drumming goes to war with a serious appreciation for melody. Elsewhere, Procession To Tartarus is a progressive tech-death battle that slides into sludgy swamps, symbolising the dark dungeon of torment that its namesake is.
In fact, symbolising the subject matter is something TEMPLE OF DREAD display with divine effect. The blistering blast beat-riddled beat ‘em up of Crpyts Of The Gorgon feels like you’re truly fighting your way through the lair of the snake-haired sisters. Wrath Of The Gods creates a bludgeoning battering ram of drums, elevated by complex rhythm sections that truly feel like Hades has been unleashed upon your ears. It’s these little things that highlight just how special a band these Germans are.
Equally benefitting from the elite production of drummer Jörg Uken, vocalist Jens Finger fires out a ferocious performance that puts the listener at the heart of the Greek mythology the album explores throughout its nine tracks. Whether it’s the history of Hades himself, the temple of necromancy believed to be the door to the underworld, or the highest heaven that is the Empyrean, there’s never a moment where you’re not fully immersed in their storytelling.
If World Sacrifice was a statement of intent for old school death metal, Hades Unleashed is the sound of TEMPLE OF DREAD making a case for underground supremacy. With three for three in the bag, there is nothing stopping them from becoming one of extreme metal’s leading flagbearers in the 21st century.
Rating: 9/10
Hades Unleashed is out now via Testimony Records.
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