TEMPLE has been on my radar for a while now, but without much music online I was left without any way to really delve into their tunes. And it was so unfortunate, because, composed of members from Milwaukee’s favorite bands, I knew Temple would make music that I was sure to enjoy. But that all changed for the better this past spring with the release of their first full-length album, The Conscience of the King.
“I am proud to announce that we have FINALLY released our new TEMPLE album ‘The Conscience of The King‘!” bassist Myles Coyne posted in conjunction with the release, and what an album they released.
Myles continued:
I am very proud of this record. I love Jamie, Larkin & DW so much & am so happy we get to do this! No matter what I do with my life, from this point on, this will always be our record, & they can never take it away.
The Conscious of the King is powerful and emotional. The album is awesome in that it balances quieter and subtle pieces with noisy, post-hardcore explosions. It begins with title track “Conscious of the King”, a short song, but to-the-point with powerful, driving guitar. And all energy. That energy is carried through to the following track, and beginning with the third, we start to tap into the more subtle side of TEMPLE. “To Make a Bomb” is a prime example of TEMPLE’s ability to audibly balance a song; beginning with easy-going guitar and soft vocals, it evolves into a quick tempo’d track complete with repetitive screams. Somehow, none of its elements sound out of place, and TEMPLE achieves this successfully not just once, but repeatedly throughout The Conscious of the King.
The album wraps up with “Temple”. Starting with light picked guitar, you wonder for a minute if this is an ambient ‘relief’ track to close out the album, but it crescendos modestly a few times before finally erupting around the three minute mark.
Be sure to check out “Smooth Sculpture” and “To Make a Bomb”, my two favorite tracks from the album. I might also recommend taking the time to read along with the lyrics, as well; they’re poetic and wonderful on their own.
Looking forward to many, many more albums from TEMPLE (pressure’s on!).
Track Listing (*)
1. The Conscience of The King
2. Jasmine & Her Door
3. Bleeding Time Machine
4. Football On Stage
5. Smooth Sculpture*
6. Warm Chamber
7. Fox River Revisited
8. Heaven Eraser
9. To Make a Bomb*
10. Temple
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