Article By: Pat ‘Riot’ Whitaker ‡ Edited By: Leanne Ridgeway
From the far north’s greater Toronto, Canada area comes the riff-driven return of Olde via their new release, ‘Temple‘.
The seven-song offering was just dropped this week, August 10th in fact, and it is bound to make massive ripples within the heavy rock realm. The third release overall from the band following ‘Shallow Graves‘ and ‘I‘ (both released in 2016), finds Olde more settled into their sound, I do believe.
That sound and those that orchestrate it, vocalist Doug McLarty, bassist Cory McCallum, guitarists Greg Dawson and Chris Hughes, and drummer Ryan Aubin, have quite a monstrosity on their hands here. ‘Temple‘ is a behemoth-like monument that is constructed on the very fundamentals of sludge, stoner metal, doom, and progressive metal. The materials used to manifest them are this quintet’s chemistry and aptitude for crafting deeply layered compositions.
Determined to not be taken lightly nor passed over, the players of Olde clearly comprehend the importance of the riff. From the rollout of the post-hardcore inflected “Subterfuge“, they are used to determine the path taken. Bludgeoning and brash, they fuel the song’s sluggish advance, while the more melodic guitar lines later on are a sweet surprise indeed.
Truth is, there are ample surprises to be had here, each one taking the form of fantastic track after fantastic track. Phenomenal cuts like the groove-geared “Now I See You” or the doomened movement of “Maelstrom” are true sonic bliss. The latter packs some muscular brawn, both musically and vocally, so much that its title merely hints at the tempest contained within.
Yet, the heaviest of the heavies here have to be the title track “Temple“, “Centrifugal Disaster” and the album-ending “Castaway“. The pummeling density of this trio is unmatched, especially that closer, which so capably carries such unsurpassed audible tonnage in its hold.
Yes, just like a freighter of fierce ferocity making its way across the terrain, Olde‘s ‘Temple‘ cannot be deterred nor detoured. It moves along that earlier mentioned path as a steadfast juggernaut, an unwavering force rendering the listener asunder its mass. I invite you to feel and experience this album for yourself now, via the Bandcamp embed below.
Olde‘s ‘Temple‘ was released this past week, there are various links to purchase it depending on the format you prefer – be it Medusa Crush Recordings, STB Records, or the band directly.
For digital download and streaming or a limited cassette, you can visit these pages: oldedoom.bandcamp.com or medusacrushrecordings.bandcamp.com. For a limited vinyl LP variant go to: stbrecords.bandcamp.com.
