Metal lore is rich with mythology and history, stories that have become a part of humanity, no matter where you hail, and it’ll always be there to act as fodder for musicians looking to come up with the heaviest possible concepts and sounds. It also provides listeners with a chance to dig into some of this material that previously might have been unfamiliar, helping swell one’s brain with new knowledge.

Digging into “Beyond Acheron,” the fourth record from German death metal crushers Temple of Dread, it’s clear we’re in for another album full of ideas and stories that make metallic roots that much more nutritious. Just look at the cover art by Italian artist Paolo Girardi of Charon, the ferryman who leads the dead across the River Styx to Hades, and you see a story that’s long dotted metal, but maybe you never saw it depicted it quite that way before. The band—vocalist Jens Finger, guitarist/bassist Markus Bünnemeyer, drummer/keyboard player Jörg Uken—is assisted by friend and psychologist Frank Albers who provides the gore-splashed and cinematic lyrics that make this record that much more engaging and full of folklore that will keep you engaged in the brutality from front to back.

“Charon’s Call (Intro)” has water rushing, the drums awakening, and guitars swimming, heading downstream into the title track that explodes with strong riffs and raspy howls. The melodies jolt as soloing rips in and glows, giving a mystical feel to the carnage. The growls gut as the playing gets more ferocious, landing heavy blows and pouring salt into wounds, paving the way for “World Below” that drubs from the word go. Menace is heavy as the riffs drill into bones, the playing encircles dangerously, and the synth playing thickens the ominous cloud cover. A fantastical bend takes over, making your mind tingle, and then the pace fires up again, Finger howling, “I am free, I rule the world below!” “Damnation” mixes sick drumming and wafting synth, the tempo burning slowly and dangerously, the humidity mixing with fire. The leads swarm as the playing gets more intense, melodies simmering, the keys and carnage mixing in the sky. The heaviness gets more oppressive as the growls eat away like acid, increasing the misery crashing down like nails as the track comes to a regal end. “Dance of Decay” is sinister as the growls go for your throat, the death assault becoming an earth-crushing force. The guitars unload, sweeping over rock and lava, the growls get burlier, and viciousness drags this into the earth’s core.

“All-Consuming Fire” drives and drubs, turning into a speedy and mean assault, delivering a flurry of crushing blows. Hazy leads make the atmosphere thicker and hotter, and then the tempo explodes, thrashing with ugly defiance, stomping joints, and stretching you mentally and physically. “The Plague” is chunky as hell with the guitars encircling its prey, a mucky and mangling force with which to be reckoned. “The plague will hit us all,” Finger wails as the heat makes breathing difficult, shrieks pack sinister deadliness, and the final moments powder bones and teeth. “Carnality Device” unfurls with manic terror, twisting with metallic precision and even making minds warp with alien effects. Steamy melodies wilt flesh as hypnotic surges ice your brain impulses before the guitars catch new fire, and the drumming even ups the ante further, coating lungs with soot. “Asebeia” is a blink-and-miss-it blaster, bringing corrosive growls, premium levels of speed, and a thunderous push that makes it feel like a storm you didn’t know was coming to level your town. Closer “Hades” dawns with a slow burn, the guitars channeling blood, morbid tidings making everything feel even more severe. The playing keeps building momentum, glorious guitar work feels like thick light beams pounding your eyelids, and everything crescendos, the final waves crashing monstrously to earth.

Strangeness, unspeakable horror, and death metal brutality run amok on “Beyond Acheron,” a record that is both enthralling and unforgivingly destructive. Temple of Dread continue to build their massive canon with this impressive album, one that should open any ears just coming into contact with this splattering force. This is death metal full of all the good stuff longtime fans want from the subgenre, and every visit with this thing will wreck you and demand your fealty all over again.

For more on the band, go here: https://www.facebook.com/TempleofDread

To buy the album, go here: https://testimonyrecords.de/artists/temple-of-dread/

For more on the label, go here: https://testimonyrecords.de/