ITP V.021 REVIEW: SPIRE: "TEMPLE OF KHRONOS"

 

 

  BAND: SPIRE (AUSTRALIA)

GENRE: DARK, BLACK  AMBIENT, METAL

LABEL: SENTIENT RUIN LABORATORIES

 RELEASE DATE: 2/19/2021

TITLE:"TEMPLE OF KHRONOS"

 

   PREVIOUS RELEASES (CATALOG): 

"ANCIENT MEAT REVIVED" (SPLIT WITH VASSAFOR, SINISTROUS DIABOLIS, ANTEDILUVIAN, GRAVE UPHEAVAL, TEMPLE NIGHTSIDE), 8/25/2016 via NUCLEAR WAR NOW! PRODUCTIONS

"ENTROPY", 8/19/2016 via IRON BONEHEAD PRODUCTIONS 

"MAGICA/SCIENTIA (SPLIT WITH MIDNIGHT ODYSSEY), 1/13/2015 via SEANCE RECORDS. 

"METAMORPH" (EP), 11/17/2011 via AOP RECORDS. 

"SPIRE" (EP), 2/20/2010 via OBSCURE ABHORRENCE PRODUCTIONS. 

 

 SPIRE: "TEMPLE OF KHRONOS":   TRACK LISTING: 

1. "CHRONOMETER"

2. "HYMN 1 TYRANT"

3. "HYMN II TORMENTOR"

4. "HYMN III HARBINGER"

5. "INTERLUDE ANTITHESIS"

6. "HYMN IV PUISSANT" 

7. "HYMN V KHRONOS" 

BEST RELEASE(S): "TEMPLE OF KHRONOS" (2021),  "ENTROPY" (2016),

 

  ITP RATING: **** 1/2
PRODUCTION: ****
SONGWRITING:****
PERFORMANCE: ****1/2

SPIRE are a dark, ambient, blackened  metal band from Brisbane, Australia. Expanding on the template laid from regional bands PORTAL (AUSTRALIA) and  ULCERATE (NEW ZEALAND) , SPIRE exhibit an avant garde approach to the bands newest epic "TEMPLE OF KHRONOS". 

SPIRE'S  "TEMPLE OF KHRONOS" kicks off with "CHRONOMETER", an ambient, instrumental, industrial track foreboding the soundscape to mental madness. 

SPIRE'S "HYMN 1 TYRANT",  features melodic notes , painted against a mid tempo start and chanted vocals. SPIRE'S "HYMN 1 TYRANT", spoken word is sprinkled into the vocalizations before at 3:10 the track takes off for a faster pace with blastbeats, horrifying screams and repetitive spoken word. Discordant notes echo throughout SPIRE'S "HYMN 1 TYRANT" as the track closes with excellent clean vocals.   

SPIRE'S "HYMN II TORMENTOR", picked atonal notes are featured backed by blast beats and shouted clean vocals. SPIRE'S "HYMN II TORMENTOR" features a texture of the atonal notes as they breath melody into as the track toys with sludgy, doomier moods..

At 3:42  SPIRE'S "HYMN II TORMENTOR" slows down for a doomier mood, with memorizing repetitive, spoken word invoking the feeling of a psychedelic hallucination. At 5:31 .SPIRE'S "HYMN II TORMENTOR" enter a louder dynamic featuring a sung phrase and blackened vocals from the depths of hell. "HYMN II TORMENTOR" closes with the tortured sounds of a man wrestling with his own psyche, as the judge and jury have tortured his soul. 

 SPIRE'S "HYMN III HARBINGER", is vicious black metal with a varied,  tortured vocal approach and epic chord transitions. .

.SPIRE'S  "INTERLUDE ANTITHESIS", enters with shredding technical guitar wizardry as at 1:49 the track explodes into some sinister doom and chanting. 

.  SPIRE'S "HYMN IV PUISSANT", is a slower paced track complete with psychedelic, Gregorian chanted vocalizations peppered with a nice riff  and doomy textures.  SPIRE'S "HYMN IV PUISSANT" continues with slowly sung, and well performed clean vocals for a truly psychedelic atmosphere.At the five 5:00 mark, SPIRE'S "HYMN IV PUISSANT" invites full instrumentation as blast beats accentuate a ending of pure slow doom.  

 

 .   SPIRE'S "TEMPLE OF KHRONOS"  closes with "HYMN V KHRONOS" and epic doom track with a prominent riff and very spooky clean vocal phrasings. 

At 4:09 .SPIRE'S "HYMN V KHRONOS", changes riffs and glides into mid pace, group chanted vocals for an epic ending.    

 

 . SPIRE have outdone not only themselves,  they have also outdone their peers in the metal world. 

While, it's hard to believe SPIRE are only a duo, (H.R. and G.A.) ,  "TEMPLE OF KHRONOS" sounds like an epic performance of a full band. 

SPIRE'S "TEMPLE OF KHRONOS" features a varied and charismatic vocal performance of a tortured soul, very creative. 

Within, exquisite musicianship and crystal clear production,  SPIRE seamlessly transition from blackened metal, to dark doom with an arsenal of malevolent riffs. 

SPIRE'S elements of  avant garde is what truly sets them apart from the rest of the metal scene as the band experiment with time signatures, melody, ambient   and an epic vocal performance. 

 

If you haven't been sucked into SPIRE'S dark abyss of psychedelia and  torture you should check them out, as "TEMPLE OF KHRONOS"  is a mirror to the darkest recesses of the mind.    . 

 

  ITP RATING: **** 1/2
PRODUCTION: ****
SONGWRITING:****
PERFORMANCE: **** 1/2

 

 

https://spak-individualthoughtpatterns.blogspot.com/2021/02/spire-post-new-release-temple-of-khronos.html 

 

 

 

 

 

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

 

 

Thanks-Stay Metal, Stay Brutal-\m/ -l-