Reviews
Heavy Metal Forces (Japan)
Temple of Blood
Prepare for the Judgement of Mankind
It's almost shameful to realize that bands like TOB are still cropping up in America, struggling in obscurity without support or interest from record labels. These guys play a style of 80s speed/thrash metal that would be adored in Europe, and they'd surely be added instantly to the roster of new bands for all the big summer festivals. Born in 2001 with a common love for bands like Mercyful Fate and Iron Maiden, TOB has finally unleashed their debut album on the unsuspecting metal underground. PFTJOM delivers a collection of nine original tunes that will take you back to the early days of frantic and energetic speed metal, and I hear some echoes from Annihilator, Agent Steel, Savage Grace, and a host of other bands. Somehow, TOB merges all of these influences into music that honors the magic of these early masters and yet sounds unique enough to stand on its own merits. All four band members are veteran players, so the performances on this disc are excellent, with tons of breakneck riffs, lightning guitar leads, and thunderous double-bass drumming. The songs don't stray too far from traditional structures, but the band has the musical sensibilities to offer more than enough variety and surprises to keep things from sounding stale. The lyrical themes reflect the band's stance as Christians, but the approach is not "preachy" or demanding, and I think it's intensely cool that TOB is honest about their faith (especially in a genre where Christian bands are definitely in the minority). And if amazing songs and engaging lyrics weren't enough, TOB has included a little bonus for all the fans of old-school metal...the final track on this disc is a cover of Deadly Blessing's "Deliver Us From Evil," with original DB singer Ski performing the vocals. How cool is that!? This disc is strongly recommended, so take the time to check out the band and their message.
Metal to Infinity webzine (Belgium)
Temple of Blood
Prepare for the Judgement of Mankind
Temple Of Blood is a four piece American band formed by vocalist / guitarist Jim Mullis by the end of 2001. Some other guys joined forces and during the first days of existence, T.O.B. played mostly covers from 80s giants with styles ranges from Heavy Metal to Thrash Metal. That was just a temporary situation because these guys wanted to create their own style of Metal music. Later on, a long time friend of Jim, named Matt Barnes offered his talented skills to the band as lead guitar player and there they go, ready to take the underground Metal scene by storm!
Along with Garth Lovvorn on bass and Lance Wright on drums, no one was able to stop the band. While doing an interview with Jim several months ago, he promised me the final results should be outstanding and he was totally right, yes he was!! To me, "Prepare For The Judgement Of Mankind" is a self financed, monster album fulfilled with nine neckbreaking Metal tracks and styles ranges from the almighty US Classic Heavy / Power Metal but mostly, Temple Of Blood plays fast, real fast (Speed / Thrash Metal at its best)! Brothers and sisters into eighties Metal music, this is your alley for sure.
As i may speaks for myself, they reminds me of Sacred Oath, Slauter Xstroyes, Have Mercy, Abattoir, Holy Terror, Anacrusis, Agent Steel, Savage Grace, Steel Assassin and so on. Jim has no problems with raising up his voice real high in the vein of King Diamond or John Cyriis. These guys have a christian background but that doesn't bothers me at all. What mainly matters to me is that T.O.B. is a very talented band and i truly hope they'll recognized in the rest of the world too. You should here the numerous guitar duels surrounded by riddling bass tunes and devasting drums all over the entire album. Just like in the good old eighties, fast as a shark and sharp as a razorblade.
Guess what, there is a surprise at the end of the album! Eighties Metal maniacs defintely knows the band Deadly Blessing including one of my favourite alltime singers, named Ski. Well, Ski flying into Huntsville, USA and offered his almighty talents for the recordings of a (bonus) song called..."Deliver Us From Evil", (yeah, the legendary Deadly Blessing song!) T.O.B. plays the music, Ski is screaming and yelling his heart out and so the album ends in a very impressive and beautiful way.
I see Temple Of Blood as 'THE' US Power / Speed revelation of the last few years. Independent, fast and pure Metal minded...give support to such great band is my personal and only way out. Hope you'll do the same!! To all Metal thrillseekers...you can order this product (as fast as possible if you pleased) via email at: templeofblood@yahoo.com or visit their website via: www.templeofblood.net . MY POINTS: 96 / 100
Victory Webzine (Finland)
Temple of Blood
Prepare for the Judgement of Mankind
Wow! It's always a pleasant surprise to hear a band you have never heard before and at the same time realize that it is pure quality.
Temple of Blood hails from USA and they bring us some true metal in its very essence. Speed, melody and some thrashy drumming is what they have to offer and after listening to it I realize that it should only be a matter of time before a label catches up them.
The vocals of Jim Mullins remind me a lot of the band "Virgin Steele" and also a tiny bit of Hammerfall. It's pretty unusual to hear a band playing this kind of music without putting in growl-vocals and I must say that it feels refreshing! Musically they are perhaps more compared to bands like Judas Priest and Mercyful Fate.
The songs are very driven in a high speed with great intensity yet still they're able to keep it melodic and catchy. I also like that the fact that there is much diversity in the songs, different vocals harmonies and melodies in all the songs.
The only little point of negativity I must point out is that the production could be a bit heavier but that is a just a minor point since I find it more than acceptable.
Please, bring on the next album!
Style: Melodic Thrash Metal
Review by: Victory
Metal-Rules.De Webzine (Germany)
Temple of Blood
Prepare for the Judgement of Mankind
It soon became clear that this is no average Metal album. Brilliant that even nowadays bands dedicate themselves to technical Speed/Thrash Metal. Thus you are eager to listen to it again and again. This album contains everything you need, from slow parts to neckbreaking speed. But that doesn’t mean that confusion prevails here. The nine tracks are structured well and build up tension with every new break. The musicians definitely know their jobs. Tons of classic guitar riffs and a vocalist (Jim Mullis) who is skilled in reaching high notes as well. If you’re into legends like Anacrusis, Slauter Xstroyes, Agent Steel and other bands of this era you ought to get this bast*** combining the best of these cult combos. As a special bonus track you get a cover version of „Deliver Us From Evil“ of the legendary Deadly Blessing with Ski himself on vocals !!! Homepage: www.templeofblood.net
RONJACMETAL
Translation: Peter Schulien
Vampire Webzine (The Netherlands)
Temple of Blood
Prepare for the Judgement of Mankind
What do bands like for instance Extol, Paramaecium and this Temple of Blood have in common? Well I can name two resemblances: all three are Christian bands and they make great music, each in their own genre. Temple of Blood started in 2001 when singer/guitarist Jim Mullis, bass-player Garth Lovvorn and drummer Lance Wright teamed up and began playing covers from eighties metal bands. In 2004 their friend Matt Barnes joined them, filling in the second guitar duties. Early 2006 their debut ‘Prepare for the Judgement of Mankind’ saw the light of day.
This album contains nine songs of their own and one bonus track in the shape of a cover version from Deadly Blessing’s‘Deliver us from Evil’ on which Deadly Blessing singer Ski takes control of the vocals. The whole album takes us back to the eighties speed/thrash and doesn’t even flirt once with the modern times! The vibe that’s going on in the songs reminds me of bands like Agents Steel, Jag Panzer and Helstar in their beginning days and the bass-sound makes me think of Watchtower’s Control and Resistance. Jim Mullis sings with high-pitched clean vocals that sounds like a mix of John Cyriis (ex-Agent Steel), James Rivera (Helstar) and Messiah Marcolin (Candlemass). His voice is very powerful and pure especially in the more up-tempo parts, in the slower paces like in‘The Ultimate Sacrifice’ his voice is a bit unstable. The songs all have a traditional structure with enough variation and excellent musicianship. It can be heard that all members have plenty of experience. Lyrically the theme is about Christianity and they believe that’s the only salvation for mankind. Well, that’s not my cup of tea, but each his own way of life, as long as there is mutual respect for each other’s differences, right? And as long as they come up with a great song like my favourite ‘Return to Eden’, with that catchy chorus, than it’s alright by me!
A fine debut it is what Temple of Blood represents us here! It’s a shame that labels will not be standing in line for the band, since this kind of metal is not loved anymore by the wide audience. But hell (sorry guys, heaven for you, just kidding), all the old school fans who want to be taken back twenty years, have a nice album to check out!
Reviewed by Tim
Heaven's Metal (USA)
Temple of Blood
Prepare for the Judgement of Mankind
I found myself truly enjoying this disc. It's a bit of a speed metal/thrash hybrid with vocals that utilize some falsetto-style singing. I like this disc a whole lot, the guitar riffs are fun, the music is intense and, with the exception of a couple lackluster tunes, the songs on here just crush.
[Indie] Mike Larson
Scream Magazine (Norway)
Temple of Blood
Prepare for the Judgement of Mankind
By interpreting Deadly Blessings "Deliver Us From Evil", and at the same time bringing in mentioned bands vocalist, Ski, to do the vocals, shows that Temple Of Blood has impeccable taste. The quartet must gather a lot of inspiration from the scene that Deadly Blessing was a part of, namely the so-called US-metal, but at the same time incorporating noticable thrash-elements in their musical expression. The result has become an exciting debut in the power/thrash zone, with a special, at times a little uncontrolled, but still suiting and relatively successful vocals from Jim Mullis. The material might be a tad hard to get into, much due to the fact that the band is borderlineing some kind of technical thrash. A bit messy here and there, but in the more straight edge songs like "Return To Eden", and espesially "Seeking The Truth", it is a blast to listen to Temple Of Blood. The bandmembers are all Christians, and are making no excuses about it in their lyrics, but this does not at all destroy the very positiv impression I sit back with after listening to their 80's inspired and very believeable power/thrash metal. The album is available at an affordable price from: www.templeofblood.net.
Leif Kringen
Mario's Metal Mania (The Netherlands)
Temple of Blood
Prepare for the Judgement of Mankind
Temple of Blood was formed in late 2001 by lead guitarist/vocalist Jim Mullis backed by percussion phenom Lance Wright (Spinecast) and veteran metal bassist Garth Lovvorn (Fleshtized). Temple of Blood began cutting their teeth live in mid-2002 with a set consisting mainly of covers ranging from classic Heavy metal bands Mercyful Fate, Candlemass, and Iron Maiden to late 80's Thrash titans Testament and Annihilator. In early 2004, Jim's long time friend Matt Barnes joined on lead guitar, adding the much-needed final component to a band who is determined to make waves in today's Metal scene. Temple of Blood is centered around powerful music and descriptive lyrics. Their lyrical inspiration is derived from the virtues of Christianity which has influenced their lives.
Well personally I dont give a **** about the lyrics a band is singing about; if its white- or blackmetal, there is a freedom of speech so everybody can do it his own way. Metal is metal; thats all that counts for me.
About the album: Damn, I'm so glad that there are still new bands (Temple of Blood, Mythiasin, Powervice) who know how to make real metal these days! This is the kind of metal I live for; high pitching vocals, great guitarparts & double bassdrums. If you're also like me into the 80's speed/thrashmetal, you should have this album in your collection!!! Its a must! Expect a mix of: Forbidden, Deadly Blessing, Ravensthorn, Watchtower, Hirax & Toxik. The high pitching vocals of the singer do remind me sometimes to the legendary Larry Portelli (Blessed Death).
As a bonus there is a Deadly Blessing cover 'Deliver us from Evil' on the album with original Deadly Blessing singer Ski on vocals! Killer track!! Check out this self-released & financed superb CD!! Temple of Blood should play one
of the mighty German festivals this summer when its up to me!!
93/100
Mario Van Dooren
No Life Til Metal (USA)
Temple of Blood
Prepare for the Judgement of Mankind
Wow! Do bands still make real speed metal and thrash like this? Obviously so! "Prepare for the Judgement of Mankind" is prime heavy metal. Speedy riffs, choice guitar solos, pounding bass, double bass and more double bass. My first observation is that some people are going to be turned off by the vocals, which while clean sound very much like the stuff you might have heard on some of the early Metal Massacre compiliation with bands like Savage Grace, Surgical Steel and Virgin Steele. Surely any true metalhead will remember the days when the higher the vocalist, the better. Well, that's what you get here too. There are lots of high, falsetto vocals mixed with some more mid-range vox and absolutely no gruff or growled vocals at all. Ahhh, but those were the days when metal was fresh and wasn't confused by the many, many subgenres we have today. Temple of Blood take me back to those days. If I had to compare them to somebody, I'd say they were a mixture of bands like Toxik, Realm, Nasty Savage and perhaps a bit of Mercyful Fate and Judas Priest. It's hard to put into words, but "Prepare for the Judgement of Mankind" brought back that same sort of excitement that those early classic bands had. One big difference between Temple of Blood and many of those early metal bands is in the lyrics, which here are mostly Biblically based. This only adds to the appeal for me. Temple of Blood is flying their banner high for true metal. Long live true metal!
The bonus track is a cover version of Deadly Blessing's "Deliver Us From Evil" featuring guest vocals by Ski. I forgot to mention this song in the review above, but it rules and is a cool way to finish off the CD.
Forgotten Scroll (Greece)
Temple of Blood
Prepare for the Judgement of Mankind
And the surprises from the States keep on coming… I discovered this band literally by chance when a friend of mine played a couple of mp3’s downloaded from their website. I instantly felt like putting a wet finger into an electric plug. No wonder why I immediately ordered their self financed debut cd...
Alabama based Temple of Blood is another young and promising band, serving the ever-growing American Underground Heavy Metal scene since 2001. These four extremely talented musicians have managed to forge a tight and heavy as hell Metal act. The guys describe their music as “powerthrash” and I believe it’s a term that does them justice. Temple of Blood sounds like an explosive metal mixture heavily influenced by Slauter Xstroyes and Agent Steel with the result being similar to the above and others like Deadly Blessing (they even include a cover of “Deliver Us from Evil” with Ski as guest vocalist!) and Tourniquet.
The lyrics are Christian oriented but not in a preachy way. The songs are about Biblical destructions, the battle between Good and Evil, Exorcisms and other religion related stuff, all written in an epic manner that will fascinate you. Extra credit goes to Jim Mullis who manages to breathe life in these words with his theatrical vocal abilities. If you want to listen to some music that stands out from modern mediocrity, you should definitely go for this album!
http://www.templeofblood.net/
Review by: Trampakoulas
Metal Metropolis (Norway)
Temple of Blood
Prepare for the Judgement of Mankind
It is always a great feeling to discover new acts that is proudly waving the 80's metal flag high. And this is truly what Temple Of Blood are doing. Firmly rooted in the 80's these guys have one foot cemented in the traditional metal scene, and the other in the thrash metal scene of the same era. This manifests itself in a band that is making no excuse for creating a thrash metal album they can be proud of. 'Prepare For The Judgment Of Mankind' takes me back to a time when you discovered bands like this listening to demo tapes and/or record company samplers. The production is raw, but that is the only thing that might need a bit of improvement. Because the music it self is absolutely stunning. These guys a re technically skilled, both with their playing, and with their songwriting talents. The music is fast and furious, with lots of double bass. But it is also filled with complex riffing and some signature time changes. The album is also very well balanced with some more mid-tempo parts. Vocalist Jim Mullins varies his mid-range delivery with a high pitched shriek, reminding me of the likes of King Diamond (Mercyful Fate) and John Cyriis (Agent Steel). This might take some getting used to, but I really think he's got a charm and a uniqueness to him. Rounding off this well crafted debut is a cover of Deadly Blessing's "Deliver Us From Evil". Here the band have managed to get Deadly Blessing's singer, Ski, to do the vocals. This was more then enough to get me to check out Deadly Blessing too! Another key element in my appreciation for Temple Of Blood is their lyrics. Although never preachy, they are not ashamed of their faith. I'm already looking forward to the bands next effort. Since the recording of this album, the band have parted ways with the bass-player, and have now recruited Jim Lewis from Antithesis to take over the bass-duties.
Killer tracks: Conviction, Spiritual Warfare, Seeking The Truth, The Ultimate Sacrifice
Necrometal.com (USA)
Temple of Blood
Prepare for the Judgement of Mankind
This release comes from good old USA and, it is hard to imagine that it does because it has such a European method of applying a lot of classic Metal influences like Forbidden, Dark Angel, Candlemass and so on. You get the point.
Tracks 7 and 8 you can play frisbee with but, the other 7 are incredible pieces of talent. They sure tried to make the most out of the budget that they had and hired Sterling Winfield to master this recording (who's done work with Pantera, King Diamond, Mercyful Fate, Damageplan, etc.)
This is as good as it is gonna get to getting a close dose of real 1980's Metal these days.
9/10
Thrash Unlimited (USA)
Temple of Blood
Prepare for the Judgement of Mankind
"High Quality Thrash Metal with melody..." was my initial reponse upon placing this piece of art upon my ears. The disc is packed tight with superb intensity with a massive riff driven quickness that explodes with complete and true metal glory. The guitar work is tight on a huge scale delivering blistering solos throughout. Vintage Deliverance and Annihilator come to mind quite a bit although the vocals periodically pull the listener away from that mode and almost places you in King Diamond's neighborhood. The lyrical content is quite centered around christianity but the technical proficientcy of the band places that in the back seat. Possibly a bit more heaviness could have been implemented upon production but overall this is a fine piece of Thrash and Metal and has my anticipation level up high for the next release.
Vault Zine
Temple of Blood
Prepare for the Judgement of Mankind
When this album starts to roll one could think that this little masterpiece was released in 1986, but that is not the case here. "Prepare for the Judgment of Mankind" is the fresh new metal album released only last year. The music is the blend of classic US power metal with elements of speed and thrash, and is very similar to bands like Slauter Xstroyes, Spirit Web, and Steel Prophet. Their progressive moment is incorporated into the structure of the songs. They are very intense with cool melodies in between, especially in "Legion of the Crypts" "Spiritual Warfare". The singing reminds me of Scott Huffman (ex-Syris, ex-Spirit Web, Twelfth Gate), Rick Mythiasin (ex-Steel Prophet, New Eden) and John Stewart (Slauter Xstroyes) and Steve Gentz (Talamasca) particularly in the high notes and screams. Jim Mullis is a great guitarist, singer and songwriter, all in one. Melodies are superb and give the album reason more to like it.
Production is good but it could be better. Guitars are sharp and clean, just how I like it. Drum sound is a bit shallow, but with the bass and guitars it can be tolerated.
And, at the end for the 80-tis metal lovers we have a cover version of DEADLY BLESSING's "Deliver Us From Evil" featuring the awesome vocal talents of Ski, DEADLY BLESSING's singer.
All in all, great metal album, the one that will bring you back to the roots. With anticipation we wait for the next album, hopefully this year.
Boys and girls, be prepared for the TEMPLE OF BLOOD!!!!
8/10
Vlada Lucic
Vault 'zine
Friday the 13th (England)
Temple of Blood
Prepare for the Judgement of Mankind
This is a new act that recently came my way, thanx to Ski from Deadly Blessing who gave the band my contact info, thanx Ski!!! I 1st saw the album cover and thought, God what the hell is this?? But like they say never judge a book by it's cover!!! formed back in 2001 by Jim Mullis on vocals and guitar, Jim later on found Lance Wright on drums, Garth Lovvorn on bass, & Matt Barnes on 2nd guitar. I wasn't sure what to expect from this band, but I have to say I'm pretty impressed with the bands performance on this record. For a debut and a self financed release I am sure the band will be picked up shortly. So what is Temple Of Bloods style of metal? Well Progressive Power Metal with hints of Thrash Metal, they way I love it!! It has some technical elements to it and some powerful yet melodic riffs. Jim's vocals are pretty decent stuff, and they remind me of yet again Syris, Helstar. Musically they come across between Maiden, Priest, Over Kill, Helstar, Omen, Fates Warning just to name a few... As this is the bands debut album which features 10 trax the overall production isn't bad, but with the right label behind them I am sure the music will shine through. Trax bonus for this album is the fact that the band do a cover of Deadly Blessing's 'Deliver Us From Evil' , which also features Ski from Deadly Blessing on lead vocals, and what a good choice of a cover tune it is too!! Songs that I enjoy are: Destruction Of The Twin Cities, Conviction, Trampling The Serpent, Legion Of The Crypts, Realm Of Insufferable Burning and of course the cover tune. Oh yeah I forgot to tell you, this band are Christians, didn't want to tell you in case it put you off until the end of the review, but does that mater if they play good music than what the hell!! For a copy of the CD please visit their website: www.templeofblood.net
3/5 (Good)
Metal Forever, Forever Metal (The Netherlands)
Temple of Blood
Prepare for the Judgement of Mankind
After hearing this amazing CD by SEPTER from the Christian rockscene, I was flabbergasted again by a band from this underrated scene. TEMPLE OF BLOOD is definitely a name to remember, my friends, whether you’re a Christian or not. If you are a metal fan, you must have a listen to this one, if you want or not. The band plays thrash the way is was meant to be played. They sound like a mix between TESTAMENT and MEGADETH, with the melodic input of IRON MAIDEN. And they don’t limit themselves to the clichee thrash riffs on this record. Listen to the adventurous speed changes, that they put into their music. Lyrically, the bible takes a central place in their songs. And there is nothing wrong with that, as long as the music is good. And there’s no doubt about that. The ten songs on this debut album have a running time of about forty-five minutes. And the cherry on this thrash cake is at the very end of the CD. TEMPLE OF BLOOD covers DEADLY BLESSING’s “Deliver Us From Evil”, with DEADLY BLESSING’s Ski (now FAITH FACTOR) on vocals. Man, what a mighty tribute to true metal that is! Jim Mullis voice shows some resemblance to Ski’s, to give you a point of recognition here. Besides Jim, who also plays guitar, the band consists of Matt Barnes on guitar, Garth Lovvorn on bass and Lance Wright on drums. TEMPLE OF BLOOD delivered an outstanding album with “Prepare For The Judgement Of Mankind”. Enter the temple yourself and you’ll be positively surprised. Website: http://www.templeofblood.net.
(8,5/10- Toine van Poorten)
Lamentations of the Flame Princess (Finland)
Temple of Blood
Prepare for the Judgement of Mankind
Temple of Blood is f---ing wild, over-the-top, constructing songs with so many riffs, having so many guitar leads and solos, and using high pitched vocals that nobody, absolutely nobody, but a real fan of heavy metal can stand to listen to for more than a few seconds.
They call themselves “state of the art speed metal” and that’s fundamentally accurate, with the style essentially coming straight from the 80s. The album is completely unrelenting in its heavy metal, no concessions to balladry or “expanding their horizons” or “not being pigeonholed” or any such backpedaling. What’s great is the album contains such intensity at times that all you’d need is a growler and a lot of passages could be used in a straight-up death metal band (and a couple of the songwriters are/were in bands of just this style…), and even more is so perfect for just this style that I can’t imagine any other approach being taken. A lack of songwriting polish gives this album a refreshing, take-no-prisoners, full-speed-ahead quality. Not to say the songs don’t come together well, but these aren’t simple catchy songs. Each song seems to have more riffs crammed in than the one that came before, creating quite the heavy metal listening experience. It’s easy to figure out why bands wimp out, simplify, and go for radio: This stuff is intense and must be a b---h to put together without losing its coherence. And this isn’t even approaching technical in the sense that a Spiral Architect would be technical. It’s just raging headbanging fury, to use a bit of hammy language. But Temple of Blood makes it all sound easy.
The quality of the album is consistent, solid all the way through. It’s not at an overall masterpiece level, as after maybe a couple dozen listens there isn’t a single song I look forward to or feel special affinity for, but every song, without exception, offers opportunity to be impressed, either with the capacities for air guitar, headbanging, or simply admiring the overall craftsmanship. It’s an album I’ve reached for often, outside of reviewing duties, simply because I wanted to hear it. Precious few albums are like this anymore.
The one likely make-or-break feature of the band is the fact that the lyrical content is all very, very Christian. “The church of believers, united by the sacrifice and shed blood of Jesus Christ, is symbolically a Church of Blood,” states the liner notes. If one is unconvinced that Christianity is an appropriate focus for heavy metal (and God knows most of His adventures in this field have sucked), at least they play up metal themes and imagery, for much of their lyrics to coincide with more standard metal ideals: Destruction of the Twin Cities, Legion of the Crypts, Trampling the Serpent, the sort of confrontation and violence one expects from metal. I know at least one of the members in the band has been in a batch of secular black and death metal bands in the past. This is not simply using heavy metal as an evangelical tool – this is heavy metal. Add another to the list of names (Believer still at the top) that prove heavy metal and Christianity can work together. There is nothing false here.
Norm “Ski” Kiersznowski of Deadly Blessing sings on the band’s cover of Deliver Us From Evil, labeled as a “bonus track” on the back cover. So, is there another edition of the album available to purchase somewhere without this song on it? If not, why put those tacky marketing-buzzwords “bonus track” on there?
Digital Steel (The Netherlands)
Temple of Blood
Prepare for the Judgement of Mankind
Holy Hell!! Every thrashbanger who is still alive after the glorious eighties thrash-era and fell a sleep because of the almost non-existence of this genre in later days, can dig up their Vio-Lence, Forbidden or Blessed Death T-shirts (if you have one) and start banging away with Temple Of Blood. Fast, furious headkicking songs with speedy clear and highpitching vocals. Sometimes the band slows down a bit but not very long. Great move because the speed is the best weapon of Temple Of Blood and sounds as tight as a chicken’s *** with a continues bombardment of guitarsolo’s.
Temple Of Blood maintains the same high quality as the examples mentioned above and after hearing this album I accept the weak production. All songs are examples of how thrash must be played so there is not a filler in sight. Last song is a cover tune from the mighty Deadly Blessing with original singer Ski handling vocalduty and he delivers. Incredible. The guy sounds exactly the same as twenty years ago.
Great song and a great way to end Prepare For The Judgement Of Mankind and my eternal gratitude goes out to Temple Of Blood for releasing this thrash epic.
Rating: 90 /100
Metal Core Fanzine (USA)
Temple of Blood
Prepare for the Judgement of Mankind
Some really nice thrash/power metal from this band. This is more old school thrash and no groove or tough guy vocals anywhere. The band write some nice headbanging riffs and remind me a bit of Overkill or older Exodus musicwise, which is a good thing in my book. The production is a bit on the raw side, but for this band it works and it is fine here. The singer has a clean, but powerful set of lungs that gets the job done. A great release and this band deserves a deal for sure.
The Thrash Metal Guide
Temple of Blood
Prepare for the Judgement of Mankind
Thrash Metal with CANDLEMAS-like vocals. Attractive mix, isn't it? And indeed, once you hear the singer you would think that Messiah Marcolin has decided to move to a thrash band for a change. Well,it's not him,but the guy here does a fairly good job. To the music: First rate Power/Thrash with some genuine technical riffing calling to mind even the mighty HEXENHAUS. A nice finishing touch is the very cool cover version of DEADLY BLESSING'S "Deliver Us From Evil". A striking debut!
Dirt Culture Webzine (USA)
Temple of Blood
Prepare for the Judgement of Mankind
After reading a review of this CD elsewhere, I knew I had to get it. Leave it to some 30-somethings from Alabama to resurrect thrash metal from the depths of obscurity, proving that those young enough not to remember the thrash phenomenon of the 80’s truly missed out on the basis of modern metal. Temple Of Blood will no doubt appeal to fans of Annihilator and Over Kill, just off the top of my head, but these guys aren’t on some retro trip (check when the rhythm comes pounding in on “Conviction”). The songs on this self-released CD are designed as well as they are played, and it seriously gave me goosebumbs to hear high-caliber, MEMMORABLE leads over quick double bass, as if I had been transported back to 1988. This CD is seriously awesome, so I hope that this band is not going to be a one-release wonder. Wow, those leads, dude. I’m blown away.
Author: (THE IRISH)
Alternative-Zine.com (Israel)
Temple of Blood
Prepare for the Judgement of Mankind
Man, why don’t they make speed metal any more? I know there's a resurgence in the thrash scene, but most of these bands can play like hell, but tend to overcomplicated things and use screamed or growled vocals. What I miss is classic speed, with melodic riffs, melodic lead guitar, and strong melodic vocals… praise the lord! Christian speed band Temple Of Blood have delivered exactly that, one of the best speed/thrash album I've heard since the early 90's.
"Destruction Of The Twin Cities" starts off the album with a bang, fast, technically proficient, yet melodic and quite catchy, the best thing here is the vocals, no more screamed barks of a great guitarist that can't sing, these are real vocals, vocalist/guitarist Jim Mullins has a great speed metal voice, strong mid-range with some upper range screams preformed admirably as well.
Anyone with a hankering for some serious guitar leads should listen to the lead section on track three, "Return To Eden", a more traditional metal cut with this great twin guitar lead section, the end also features some nifty bass work. "Spiritual Warfare" starts off with a somewhat oriental harmony lead before turning into one of the album's best thrash moments. Again, I can't help but be impressed by the playing ability by these guys, Iron Maiden-like bass lines, energetic double bass drumming, and great guitar work by the two guitarists.
There are some different aspects of the band as well, in the clean guitar intro to "The Ultimate Sacrifice" playing a bit like Testament's "The Ballad" before crushing down with some of the best guitar riffs here. Another good thing about the band is, though they are clearly a Christian band with religiously oriented lyrics, they don’t feel too preachy as to annoy any non-Christians such as myself, this feels more like a lyrical concept than a band on a pulpit.
Anyone with any fondness to classic thrash and speed should try and get this one, it's just sad they don’t make more of these albums anymore.
Alon Miasnikov