A well-worth viaticum no longer clutched against their chest and a harbor of bones and begging souls lined-up in their wake German death metal trio Temple of Dread depart at the outset of their fourth full-length album eager to take the next incremental yet not insignificant stride in their journey through the underworld. ‘Beyond Acheron‘ continues to uphold the traditions and higher standards they’ve developed over the course of three celebrated full-length albums though this fourth release takes more of a plunge into some daring, if not unexpected notions for the sake of coming out of the experience a changed crew. The dance resultant is not so delicate, a barreling death-thrash metal recording down to its marrow which is yet eager to extend the corporeal as far as it can be distorted without losing function or its pleasing shape.

Formed by guitarist Markus Bünnemeyer circa 2017 and rounded out by vocalist Jens Finger (Slaughterday) and drummer/engineer Jörg Uken (Soundlodge Studio) Temple of Dread were more-or-less fully formed and ready to go from the jump as their first release (‘Blood Craving Mantras‘, 2019) skipped-over the usual introductions and hit with a fully pro debut LP. Their gig was easy to gear into, a straightforward late 80’s/early 90’s death metal influenced sound (see: Morgoth, Asphyx, earlier Obituary) which’d impressed me upon review noting that their embrace of the late 80’s thrash edge of death metal gave that debut its own sort of fire behind the eyes without sounding overblown or too modern. That first record served as the general template and the immediate follow-up (‘World Sacrifice‘, 2020) iterated while the band took on a more collective role in their songwriting. By the time the trio’s third LP (‘Hades Unleashed‘, 2021) hit I’d felt their late 80’s thrashing death metal style seemed pretty well cemented and it’d been their best version yet thanks to a few bold choices made in terms of working in different songwriting ideas and better overall pacing.

No doubt the average death metal fan could take a quick walk through Temple of Dread‘s discography thus far and assess their value as primarily stylistic in terms of lasting appeal, work which is sharply canonical in terms of the European ‘old school’ death metal expectation and presents itself with some admirable consistency. The sub-genre/period specific nuance of their work means they can be easily categorized and dissected for the relatively clear inspiration swimming in mind and because of this any sense of lasting value comes from their work being an above-average example of a well-explored avenue. Point being that ‘Beyond Acheron‘ does signal broadened horizons and showcases the ongoing evolution of the trio’s greater trip but a quick impression of it will land specifically for that same fan, another mark for consistency rather than any sort of extreme deviance.

Sure, all of the things I’d liked about ‘Blood Craving Mantras‘ still beats through the heart of Temple of Dread‘s work but if you’d been following their work beyond that point then ‘Beyond Acheron‘ should read as a direct continuation of ‘Hades Unleashed‘ in terms of theme, aesthetic and the modest diversification of their sound which pushes beyond purely nostalgic interests. Drilled-at tremolo riffs butted up against late 80’s thrash aggression still dominates the playing field but we find the guitar solos much improved, occasionally signaling or fully contributing a strong melodic line such as on opener/title track “Beyond Acheron”. These all cumulate as refinements upon the still guitar/riff driven push of the band even as they begin to focus on more elastic grooves, pronounced shifts in tempo and less OSDM entrenched accoutrement. The first pronounced step taken outside of the usual Temple of Dread skin comes with “World Below” where keyboards become a chasmic point of focus as the piece expands into a quasi-progressive death dirge within its extended middle portion, a moment which feels like a profound droop down into the wrong portal.

They do snap out of it eventually but “Damnation” just as quickly reprises that sinister orchestra as a major piece of its arabesque rhythms, emphasizing the mid-paced verve of the song before it takes an odd melodic death metal turn. The result isn’t exactly (early) Apophis in that sense but does indulge in a sort of power-metallic lead guitar string and all the while bearing a Nocturnus-level of keyboard bombast peeking from the rafters. “World Below” and “Damnation” serve as is an important part of how ‘Beyond Acheron‘ differentiates from past releases while offering a strange direction for the band as they appear to be headed in a more melodic direction while still keeping their Pestilence-built aggression as the dominant part of the ratio. Of course I prefer that tension-based, riff-after-riff side of the band and I’m here for that specifically so songs like “The Plague”, “Dance of Decay” and the blazed-at “Asebeia” do get me there in some respect while still leaning into this new direction throughout, edging into an increasingly tuneful mode while easing away from the thrash metal framed side of the band. I’m not sure this is an equitable trade-off just yet but it is at least something different, enough to suggest they’ve till got gas in the engine for this classic death metal influenced machine.

While it is more than an quick burner of a death/thrash metal album per its well writ themes and presentation ‘Beyond Acheron‘ is only memorable, or, notable from my point of view because I have followed the work of the group since their debut, finding this to be one of their more emboldened incremental steps forth. In terms of a lasting impression felt I’d found it thrilling enough for the ‘old school’ substance Temple of Dread have always carried within their work but the more melodic touch of the band feels like it is still developing beyond a few wily tremolo-picked riffs and leads which mostly fit into their greater vernacular. Still, it ends up being a quality record with several surprising twists given to a very familiar style. A moderately high recommendation.

---