Pre-order new TEMPLE OF BLOOD CD (samples inside)

I'll be ordering a copy soon.

Temple of Blood wrote:

CDs that were pre-ordered will be mailed out this week!

What about one that was just ordered today via your site?

I'll try to get that one out this week as well.

I want to get one too, the thing is that I'm going to have to get the first one before I can order Overlord. I like checking out a band chronologicoly.....I know, I'm anal that way.

Stender wrote:

I want to get one too, the thing is that I'm going to have to get the first one before I can order Overlord. I like checking out a band chronologicoly.....I know, I'm anal that way.

I'll save you some trouble by pasting the distro list here if you wanna order it:

If you are in the U.S., you can order this CD from these fine distros:

Sentinel Steel
Shadow Kingdom Records
Girder Music
Christian Discs
Blastbeats
Christian Rock and Fellowship
Rad Rockers
Metal Mayhem
Metal Disc
Amazon
CD Connection

If you are outside the U.S., you can order this CD from these fine distros:

Hellion Records (Germany)
Hell Bent for Records (Germany)
Else's Metal Mailorder (Germany)
Eat Metal Records (Greece)
Nordic Mission (Norway)
Hitman Records (Japan)

Some of these places are totally out though, I have been told.

I was kind of hopin' you guys would play the Sanctuary stage at Cornerstone this year.

We got offered to play at Dale's tent but wouldn't have enough time to rehearse to make it worth the while. It was at the last minute. Maybe one of these days.

Thanks for the info Temple of blood.

Wow, this CD gets better upon each listen.

ToB really have taken it up another notch on this CD. This is pure, what I would call, technical thrash with biblical lyrics that aren't preachy or in the "turn and burn" style. Dare I say thought prokvoking.

This album is one rifftastic monster of an album. The production is spot on (despite the vocals sometimes being overpowered).

I am a terrible CD reviewer, but I HIGHLY recommend this one to anyone who loves thrash, christian in nature or not.

I think this is the best christian metal album (that Ian Arkley hasn't touched) I have heard in 5 years. I think it is THAT good.

I'm just sayin'.

I really like it as well Spec.I'm digging it alot more than their first.The vocals seem to be a little low in the mix but other than that there's no complaints.Awesome cover of Forbidden Evil also.Great Job TOB!

Thank you very much guys!!!!!!!!

We are really trying to always strive to do a better job as we go along ... otherwise, if you can't top yourself ... why continue?

I'm glad to see you guys think it is better than our first album because we all feel the same way. And we hope our next one is even better and that you all enjoy it even more.

Thank you all very much for supporting us!

Temple of Blood wrote:

We got offered to play at Dale's tent but wouldn't have enough time to rehearse to make it worth the while. It was at the last minute. Maybe one of these days.

Maybe next year bro!!!

Yeah Dale, we'll just have to see.

I'm more excited about recording another album than playing any shows, to be honest. Still looking to see what kind of reaction "Overlord" gets. So far it's been almost all positive!

amazing job guys, you managed to capture the intensity of slayer, magedeth, exodus, anthrax, iced earth and all those other grat thrash and speed bands but with a positive message. ya'll are awsome. keep rockin

Thanks sam, that's what we were trying to do ... glad you think we succeeded!

Man Im getting antsy now! The postman cant get this to my door fast enough! LOL

I posted my review for NLTM early over at Firestream.net.

Quote :

Temple of Blood return with their second onslaught of U.S. steel! Metal banner held high, Temple of Blood are unashamed of being a metal band. They wear their influences on their sleeves and are darned proud of it. "Overlord" is cram packed with traditional speed metal licks and tricks. Throughout this CD you will hear influences from bands like Savage Grace, Dark Angel, Overkill , Megadeth, Judas Priest and Iron Maiden. One song even has a Sabbath and Candlemass influence. "Black Day of Execution" is a metallic doom metal number which undoubtedly was inspired by the masters of doom. This album also includes a cover of "Forbidden Evil" originally by Bay Area thrashers Forbidden. Despite this, Temple of Blood managed to merge all of these influences while still sounding unique enough to not be labeled a clone of any one particular band.

The band seems to have stepped a few things up from their debut. The song writing, while sticking pretty close to traditional metal song structures, seem to have become a bit more complex and offer more variety and distinction from song to song. Temple of Blood still sound as if they could have been a veteran band on Metal Blade circa 1986. They just seem to have that sound down to a science. Speedy, galloping riffs, dual guitar solos, shredding guitar solos, lots of fancy footwork on the bass drum, and sky-high vocals.

As with "Prepare for the Judgement of Mankind", vocalist Jim Mullins sings with high-pitched, clean vocals that sounds like a mix of Messiah Marcolin (Candlemass) and John Cyriis (ex-Agent Steel) with a touch of Nasty Ronnie (Nasty Savage) thrown in. Unfortunately the vocals are mixed way behind the music, almost to the point of distraction. There was a few points as I was listening to the CD where I couldn't even tell if he was singing or not, especially in the first few lines of opening track "Behind the Inverted Cross". Before writing this review, however, I listened to this CD several times on several different systems. When I first played "Overlord" it was at maximum volume in my six speaker car stereo. When I later played the CD at a much lower volume on my crappy Wal-Mart stereo at work, the vocals became less of an issue. They are still low in the mix, but I didn't find it quite as distracting, or perhaps I just started getting use to it. Basically, "Overlord" was mixed by the band's drummer and it sounds that way. You won't miss a single snare hit or any of the cymbal work, but the vocals are definitely secondary in the mix. Those who remember the glory days of metal in the 80's might remember albums by bands like Warlord that had equally off-kilter mixes. In it's heyday, metal was never about perfect production, but about the songs and the attitude. There is plenty of that present on "Overlord".

I doubt the average metal fan will find much to dislike about "Overlord". In a world filled with metalcore clones and derivative pop rock, a band like Temple of Blood stands tall and bears the flag for real heavy metal.

ult

Lengthy review posted on AngelicWarlord

Quote :

The origin of Huntsville, Alabama based Temple Of Blood dates back to 2001 when it was founded by vocalist/guitarist Jim Mullis and drummer Lance Wright. The two proceeded to recruit bassist Garth Loyvorn and a second guitarist, Matt Barnes, prior to entering the studio and recording the groups self-financed and independently released 2005 debut Prepare For The Judgement Of Mankind. After Jim Lewis (Antithesis) later replaced Loyvorn on bass, Temple Of Blood put together the material encompassing the spring of 2008 follow up effort Overlord, its second self-financed and independently released project in a row.

What we have in Temple Of Blood is a joining of old school thrash (think Dark Angel, Testament and Forbidden) and melodic speed metal (similar to early Deliverance) backed by classic and true metal sensibilities (in the same vein as Boarders and Symphonic Extremities era Ultimatum). While Prepare For The Judgement Of Mankind proved a capable debut, Overlord takes things to the next level. As a matter of fact, it become obvious with repeated listen to the album that Temple Of Blood, a group with a moniker inspired by I Corinthians 6:19, literally worked itself to death the past several years to improve all areas of its performance, including songwriting, musicianship and instrumental sound, vocals, production and lyrics.

Now, all great albums are based upon a foundation of great songs; and such is what we have here in that Temple Of Blood draws upon just the right amount of bone crushing heaviness and melodic based songwriting. Solid hooks are present throughout Overlord, best exhibited on speed metal romps “Behind The Inverted Cross”, “Fearsome Warrior” and “Pawn Of The Liar” in addition to “Illusion Of Control” and “The Return”, two tracks that walk a fine line between thrash and classic US power metal. A more melodic direction is taken on “Harbinger” and “Summon The Accused” while the doom laden “Black Day Of Execution” and plodding mid-tempo metal of “Anthem To The Unseen” slow things to a near crawl. Rounding out the album is the technical thrash of the Forbidden cover “Forbidden Evil”.

The melodic vocal delivery of Jim Mullis helps give Temple Of Blood its signature sound. Mostly staying in high end territory, Mullis demonstrates his versatility with the occasional falsetto or by reaching down low and adding some grit and gravel to his delivery. Comparison wise, the first name that comes to mind, obviously, is Deliverance frontman Jimmy P. Brown II but Russ Anderson (Forbidden) – for his occasionally high end flavorings – also deserves mention.

Matt Barnes handles rhythm guitar duties (be sure to check out his tight as all get out riffs- some lightning fast and others driven and weighty) and joins with Mullis for the albums lead guitar work. The two form quite the capable team, often decorating the material throughout the project with their mercurial – and at times over the top – dual lead work (such as on “Behind The Inverted Star”, “Summon The Accused” and “Forbidden Evil”). The rhythm section of power drummer Lance Wright and Jim Lewis puts in place a solid foundation for the bands sound to rest upon.

Production values prove very laudable, exhibiting just the right amount of polish but not so much as to take away from the bands natural energy. Rhythm guitar there is in abundance, along with cleanly mixed lead work and quite the pronounced low end.

Instrumental album opener “Descent Into Treachery” moves its brief (:42) distance with the instrumentation at a reduced place in the mix. Hence, when “Behind The Inverted Star” abruptly kicks in it proves quite the contrast.

“Behind The Inverted Star” represents as no-nonsense of a track as you will find. A three minute explosion of non-stop energy, the song advances its full length to a melding of chainsaw rhythm guitar and rapid fire drums- all the while give rise to quite the copious melody (this one is heavy AND catchy). Barnes and Mullis top things off with a blistering dual lead guitar trade off. As its title implies, “Behind The Inverted Star” focuses on the evils behind the pentagram:

Adorn your work with the unholy
So naïve of which it stands
Comfort in conformity
Tribute to the fall of man

Ancient evil this mark will tell
The five-pointed signs points to Hell

A hate that burns like fire lies behind the inverted star

“Summon The Accused” is a dramatic piece portraying the trial of Christ before Pilate (I like to think of it as a heavier version of Bloodgood’s “Crucify). Musically, the song heads in a bit more of a melodic direction in comparison to “Behind The Inverted Star”, not quite setting the all out breakneck pace but still showcasing a hook of the abundant variety. Barnes and Mullis provide another lead guitar trade off to a track that, again, deals with the trial of Christ:

Summon the accused, before the tribunal
The boastful one who claims He is the son
Judgement’s at hand by the laws of this land
Pharisees, priests and the mob they command

Brought to the high priest – Annas
Mocked in the courtroom of Caiphas

Take Him to the Roman magistrate
Execute, let Pilate seal His fate

Another assault of all out speed metal, the furious “Fearsome Warrior” hearkens back to prime Deliverance with its chunky rhythm guitar sound and all out hard hitting impetus. As a matter of fact, the guitar riff at the start of the song has “Victory” – from the big D’s self titled debut – written all over it (and the guys pull it off without a hitch). Another shorter piece at just over three minutes, “Fearsome Warrior” takes a look at the biblical figure Samson:

Fearsome warrior, strength divine
A killing machine, born to fight
Those who stand against surely die
A whole army fell by his might
Sworn foe of the Phillistines
Not like any man who’s ever been
Fought and overcame wild beasts
His strength was legendary

Lashed out, all around
Spilled their blood, struck them down
By the bone of a jaw
He attacked, made them fall

“Illusion Of Control” might back off a bit in terms of the energy level (at least when compared to “Fearsome Warrior”) but proves no less able. Getting things underway is a lengthy instrumental introduction that takes a quietly played guitar and interweaves it with a driving rhythm guitar and touches of fluid soloing. The laid back setting soon quickly picks up pace, harsh backing vocals sustaining the song during its terse verse portions before things taper for a chorus that starts evenly only to regain the initiative at the end. “Illusion Of Control” centers around the issues of worry and faith (and how God ultimately has things in control and how we can ultimately trust Him):

MORTALITY – Fleeting time upon this mortal plane
FUTILITY – Busy futile lives we live in vain
Frustration and failure from our hands
Can’t succeed apart from His command

A troubled race we run but the war has already been won
Illusion of control

“Black Day Of Execution” takes the album in a doom based heading. Upheld its extent by a plodding – almost bass heavy – riff and down tuned low end, the song mixes a swarthy musical direction (kind of like Black Sabbath or Place Of Skulls) with lyrics written from the standpoint of Christ at the time of the crucifixion:

The charge has been made, I am sentenced to die
Beaten, blooded and scourged through the night

A long slow march to the skull on the hill
Don’t let me die but please do Your will

The soloing Mullis cuts loose each time “Black Day Of Execution” repeats its emotionally charged chorus almost comes across bluesy in feel. Great song.

“Pawn Of The Liar”, with its all out speed metal and thrash mentality, stands out as one of the more aggressive pieces here (right up there with “Behind The Inverted Star” and “Fearsome Warrior”). Showcasing a mega-crunch rhythm guitar sound and relentless sledgehammer drums, the song comes across about as subtle as left hook to the jaw. Chorus wise, this one finds Mullis stretching and cutting loose with a Jimmy Brown-like falsetto. “Pawn Of The Liar” warns against becoming a tool of the evil one:

Living as a prisoner of your own flesh
Enshackled by your desire
A foolish child living vain dreams
You’re just a pawn of the liar

Great suffering you must endure
How much more can you take
Before the pain makes you cry out
And you finally turn away

“Harbinger” begins to a short drum solo before charging ahead to a wrecking ball rhythm guitar. The song sustains the tempestuous direction during its verse portions, not letting up until decelerating – almost to a crawl – for a catchy chorus focusing on the person of Christ:

Harbinger
The prophecy was true
Your profound message changed the world
All our hopes lie with You

Mullis and Barnes step forward with another complementary stretch of dual lead guitar.

The Forbidden cover, “Forbidden Evil”, is done to perfection. The albums longest piece at 5:43, the song proves a technical slab of thrash metal with its intricate time changes and lengthy instrumental portions: well over half of “Forbidden Evil” is instrumental, including its minute long introduction and two instrumental sections- the first rhythm guitar driven and second featuring a dual lead trade off that goes Barnes, Mullis, Barnes, Mullis, Barnes and, finally, Mullis. How is that for intense? And intense would be the way to describe how the song amalgamates a relentless wave of rhythm guitar with a muscle laden low end. “Forbidden Evil” hits the nail on the head lyrically (it would be interesting to find out what the guys in Forbidden were thinking when they wrote this):

Behold forbidden evil, he’s come to fight you’ll see
Beyond good God the Savior will rule eternity
Prince of Hell, he surrounds the Earth
Fulfilling what is said
The demons scream from Hell and kiss the bloody birth

“Anthem To The Unseen”, as its title implies, opens to an anthem-like guitar riff – every bit as tight as it gets – shored up by militant drums. The song proceeds to advance through its first verse at an ominous mid-tempo pace, overwhelming its listener as it acquires a brief but infectiously driven chorus aligning itself perfectly with the mood filled environs. “Anthem To The Unseen” is a song of faith:

Ancient One hear my cry of reverent praise
To your Anointed and all His ways

From your creation let us call the name of God
Exalted above all

Sovereign One take my life to do as You will
Cut off every branch that doesn’t yield

“The Return” commences to a thrash flavored riff and a trademark scream from Mullis. Chopping through its verse portions in a heavy duty manner, the song culminates for a hook driven chorus in which the rhythm guitar, satisfyingly, moves to the forefront of the mix. I like how “The Return” tapers to a near standstill at its halfway point prior to transitioning to a ripping instrumental section. “The Return” touches upon end time themes:

He who first came to the world in peace
Will return with the sword
He will separate His chosen and
then loose the hounds of war
Men consumed in bloodlust will engage
in battle, killing scores
Incited by the crimson horseman who
rides from shore to shore

A coming time of vengeance on a massive scale
The likes of which has never been seen
We must watch for all the signs of those final days
As we wait the return of the King

Credit must be given to Temple Of Blood for the significant steps and strides it made from Prepare For The Judement Of Mankind (a very good album in its own right) to Overlord. The band has achieved all the elements of a great album: consistent songwriting (not a bad track here), strong production values (I wish more independent releases sounded this good), adept musicianship and instrumentation and well conceived lyrics. All in all, you do not have to be a thrash/speed metal fan to appreciate Temple Of Blood: if classic/power metal (or even doom) happens to be your cup of tea then I can see Overlord – with its emphasis on melodic based vocals and songwriting - appealing to you; I would even invite fans of melodic metal and hard rock to check this out. Highly recommended.

Review by: Andrew Rockwell

Another recent review:

Quote :

Metal to Infinity webzine (Belgium)

Temple of Blood
Overlord

With their very first album Temple Of Blood blew me away. As a big fan of technical Thrash with high pitched vocals I couldn't believe my ears. Nowadays only a few bands decided to play this kind of Metal, I suppose the rest isn't capable enough doing it! I was waiting for this one for a long time! I knew it would be a hard job to equalize with the debut. Once again Temple Of Blood created a very eye catching cover. Damn, how I was fond of their very first front cover! Also their old school band logo never missed its attractive effect on me or why did you think I ordered a T-shirt from these Thrashers?

Let's talk about the music now! Temple Of Blood is still the band I adored a few years ago; after a short intro TOB takes off with the fast and furious riff of 'Behind The Inverted Star'. Crunchy and tight riffs are the mark of this Christian band, riffs that will remind you to the early years of Death Angel, Forbidden and Testament. Great bands to be compared with, no? Also the rhythmic foundation of this first song is outstanding; fast and enraging! To me the best Thrash Metal bands mixes speedy songs with powerful melodic mid tempo songs.

With 'Summon The Accused', Temple Of Blood is delivering me what I want, a tremendous track! Form, structure, balance, focus and melody are in a perfect balance, just the way I like it! On 'Fearsome Warrior', the speed is devastating and the technical arrangements don't miss their effect on me, as a fanatic of this genre. Also the opening riff of 'Illusion Of Control' is overpowering and will hit you hard in the face. The choruses with backing vocals are sounding very 'eighties'; they remind me to the old Anthrax. Talking about the guitar works I have to mention the fast fingered guitar solos. Temple Of Blood contains Jim Mullis and Matt Barnes as guitar players and both are doing a great job. The way they are pulling the strings is lifting this band up to a higher level. If you're into technical Thrash Temple of Blood invites you to their sinister and aggressive Metal feast!

With 'Black Day Of Execution', Temple Of Blood is seriously slowing down. This old Sabbath-like song is pure Doom Metal if you would ask me, the opposite of what we are used from these guys. I don't mind because it's a welcome pause in this twisted CD. 'Pawn Of The Liar' is gearing up the tempo again and after two CD's the musical elements of this song sounds typical for this band. With 'Harbinger' Temple Of Blood shows that they're a typical US Metal band! This up tempo varied US Power Metal song has an aggressive approach but still sounds very symphonic. Some superb solos are weaved in this track, it's another precious amalgam of musical elements.

I didn't talk about the vocals until now. The reason is that this CD contains a cover from Forbidden, an extreme difficult band to cover because of the vocals. These re-united Thrashers always were idols to me, especially because of the very first albums. Russ Anderson is a fantastic singer, with a strong and very high pitched unique voice. It is always impossible to hook up with him, so I was curious about TOB's version of 'Forbidden Evil' . Musical wise I can tell this cover is fantastic but also the vocals are very good although Jim Mullis doesn't own the Anderson's lungs. I bow my head deep because this guy accepted the challenge to play this cover! Jim Mullis is overall a fantastic singer and I like his typical timbre, vocal sound, high screams and vocal lines.

After this exciting cover the cadence is measuring again with 'Anthem Of The Unseen'. I really like the structure of this one; a (US) Power Metal ravager with once again great vocals and solos. The high energetic 'The Return' ends this album and contains the typical components of this band; yes Temple Of Blood produced an own sound and that makes them a great band! I hope they will hold on to them, without exaggerating because in that case boringness belongs to the possibilities.

At first I wasn't that enthusiastic about the new Temple Of Blood; I suppose I missed the surprising effect from the first release. After multiple listens I can't stop listening to this CD! There are no weaknesses and TOB is taking you from the one highlight to another. This band contains good composers, even better performers. They know how Metal should sound and this US Power / Speed / Thrash is indeed innovating in the new millennium. I know Jim is a Metal beast 'pur sang' and I am begging Oliver from KIT, Thomas from HOA or Vollker from Swordbrothers to bring these guys to Europe! A band that sounds like Realm, Heathen, Toxik and Flotsam & Jetsam deserves a place on your bills!

I can also hope Temple Of Blood is ready to search for a good label; come on guys! Check this fantastic release at http://www;templeofblood.net or http://www.myspace.com/templeofblood

My Points: 92/100 (review by Officer Nice)

The album got 4/6 in the latest issue of Scream Magazine (Norway). The reviewer found it better than the debut, but gave it the same score. Also a cool interview with Jim in the same issue. Temple Of Blod also was on the reviewers playlist in the last issue.

Hey kmorg, thanks for the info about the review. Any chance you could post the English translation of the review for me? I would appreciate it.

bump for kmorg

Sure, when I get time, I'll do it. Little swamped today.

That's cool man, thanks.