Despite hailing from Leicester in England, Temple Of Lies has a distinctively American sound, drawing influences from bands such as Red Fang, Queens Of The Stone Age, Clutch and Black Sabbath to the maybe less obvious styles of Alice In Chains, Corrosion Of Conformity and Kyuss. The thing that stands out the most here are the riffs and there are plenty of them!
From the opening track of “Rope”, it’s pretty obvious that this is dirty, raw rock n’ roll with a strong modern touch that still tips the hat to the original predecessors like Sabbath and Zeppelin. “Crystal” has more of that grungy sound with a hint of 90’s rock not too far off from Soundgarden while “Riff Machine”, which really sums up the band and the album itself beautifully, jumps into more classic rock territory. The blend of new and old is subliminally perfect here and those into all kinds of rock will pick up on this immediately.
“Bats” reminds me of Queens Of The Stone Age with it’s hooky, energetic riff, “888” on the other end of the album hits similar sounds but with a more darker feel to it. “Pigbitch” has to be my favorite track on here, it’s the riffiest of the riffs and it also has COC written all over it. As soon as I hear those kinds of meaty guitar tones, I can’t help but really sink my teeth into it. For something on the more diverse side of things, the title track is a more stripped down, laid back kind of song and shows the band’s dynamic skill at play. However, “Fire In The Hole” is one that I think will divide people. On the first few listens, you can hear an obvious hip hop influence with a more funky kind of beat but on returning to this track just a few more times, I realize that there’s even a slight nu-metal/hardcore kind of vibe to the song. It’s certainly an unexpected track on the album but one that keeps you on your toes.
MoM closes the album with a more doomy sound mixed with traditional rock n’ roll but really, you can take your pick and eventually find a song that fits the style you prefer. Despite a fairly wide range of influences and different vibes and sounds, it all collectively works together as just a great heavy rock album and as some say, at the end of the day it’s all just rock n’ roll anyway. If you like any of the bands mentioned above, give these guys a spin. It’s good stuff!
TRACKLIST
Rope
Bats
Crystal
From Sand
Feed The Greed
Riff Machine
Fire In The Hole
Pure Alcohol
888
Pigbitch
MoM
