Tempel - The Moon Lit Our Path (2015)

This two man instrumental metal band from Phoenix, Arizona is releasing their second album via Prosthetic records. After slimming down the band in 2006, and choosing to be a two person show, Ryan Wenzel (guitars/keyboard) and Rich Corle (drums) have continued their venture in creating music.


Their prior release, On the Steps of the Temple was an incredible debut album. The production was a bit grimy, which molded to their dark, doom/black metal music well. Groovy riffs meandered through entire songs, which released a heavy fog-like atmosphere, engulfing every passage of the labyrinth that was formed throughout the tracks. My enthusiasm peaked at the opportunity to review their newest release, The Moon Lit Our Path. What direction is this two-piece headed and how will Tempel continue to evolve?

The album totals only five tracks, so it's no surprise the shortest title on The Moon Lit Our Path is over 8 minutes long. Each song is more of musical journey. There is no real repetitive congruency which ties each song together, rather the unfolding of a story that is performed through wondering groovy riffs, then transitioning to faster tempos that rise and fall as a ship's maiden passage through rough waters. There are no twist or turns here, no guessing or anticipating, just the steady waves that pull you deeper into their enchanting swells. The reward, elegant and crafted acoustic sections that lay the foundation for crescendoing peaks of epic proportion.

The strength in The Moon Lit Our Path is the melodic flow. Occasionally it may sound slightly contemporary or predictable, but just as this occurs, Tempel unleashes some blast beats and tremolo picking that will reign you back in to those black metal roots this band is known for. The post metal feel is strong in many areas, as well as some doom, sludge and death metal. These are just a few influences apparent throughout, and as different as these sub genres are, the strong melodic structure carries them all well, and delivers an evenly textured product that leaves you well absorbed. As stated by Corle, "… we wanted to work in all the different types of metal we love that we didn't feel were represented on the debut.”

It's imperative when listening to Tempel that you are being an attentive, active listener. To some, this practice is common, for most, it is not. One must digest the emotion, the seriousness, and mood of this album. Without this, The Moon Lit Our Path is just a unique album not heavy enough to invest our precious time into.

"Descending Into The Labyrinth" is a personal favorite. It commences with a strong black metal tune, and smoothly transitions into a more progressive melodic black metal feature. This more traditional black metal theme is focused on throughout the entire length, which is around twelve minutes long. This characteristic also makes it one of the heavier tracks with clever drumming and masterful transitions in tempo changes and guitar work (minutes 4:17-5:30). There is a several minute acoustic break over half way though, which builds nicely into the climatic closing.

While listening to The Moon Lit Our Path, it's evident that it's more of an experience than a listen. The experience is dark and provoking, which only magnifies the more cheery, easy going segments. Just as the listener accepts this music, allow it to engulf you with is enchanting swells, and be rewarded by what light it has to offer.