ALBUM REVIEW: Inner Temple – Cosmic Order
Throughout the history of music, there have been distinct periods in which a single genre has clearly dominated, be it prog rock in the late 70s, hair metal in the mid 80s, grunge in the early 90s, or nu-metal at the turn of the Millennium. More recently, the musical spectrum has continued to innovate, which often results in bands taking two completely separate ideas, merging them and coming up with a new beast entirely. Enter COSMIC ORDER, the Normandy trio who are bringing prog-grunge to the fore on their debut full length, Inner Temple.
Getting underway with a gargantuan, fuzzy intro, it becomes immediately clear that COSMIC ORDER are keen purveyors of riffs. This opening to 8:16 AM is soon joined by thunderous drums and Josh Homme-esque vocals and for a moment it’s hard to believe that such a staggering noise can be made by just three people. Meanwhile, Cross The Line boasts an infectious, instantaneous riff that sinks its hooks in – good luck staying still when that monolithic verse kicks into gear, and don’t even get us started on the crushing, out-of-this-world outro.
The stellar opening continues with Better Life which shows the best cross section of what COSMIC ORDER are able to do, particularly when it comes to vocal performances. Combining bluesy crooning and gruff, grungey tones reminiscent of ALICE IN CHAINS with harsh screams that pierce their way through to your very psyche, it’s a potent combination executed to a monumental standard.
Another Sun sees the band tap into another gear and show that they can do more than big, anthemic songs – a gentle, lush ballad that evokes everything from PEARL JAM to TYPE O NEGATIVE. It’s a gothy, grungey delight, and an incredible snapshot of how varied influences being put in the melting pot can produce something quite special.
As we reach the middle of the album though, some cracks begin to show: H+ features some bizarre production choices that ultimately add nothing at all, namely an admittedly great solo that is played entirely in the right channel, and just comes off feeling static and shoehorned in. The final track of the album Advanced Dreams And Depictions ends so abruptly that questions have to be asked of the sequencing considerations when they put these 12 songs together.
Elsewhere, songs lack any real payoff: Memento Mori opens as a very WOLFMOTHER-like number, but beyond that it just falls into chugged, pedestrian verses that are so at odds with the proggy, textured opening and slick instrumental fills littered throughout that it seems as if two songs have been smashed together. Old Hag Attack becomes repetitive in a shockingly short amount of time, and Plea(se) is perhaps the clearest instance of trying something new that perhaps should be left alone.
All in all, Inner Temple writes a cheque it cannot cash. Storming out of the gates with an impeccably strong first half, but ultimately fading in the closing run, there’s a weird paradox wherein the issues seem to be that COSMIC ORDER are trying to do too much, but don’t have enough fresh ideas. However, for a first full length, there is great promise shown and if COSMIC ORDER are able to rein their scope in a bit, or at least refine what really makes them click, there is no doubt that they can produce something out of this world.
Rating: 6/10
Inner Temple is out now via Argonauta Records.
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