The division between
deathrock and goth rock is nigh imperceptible to those without any experience
in either genre, but for initiates the line is clearly drawn, and crossed with
far less frequency than one might expect. Musically, Portland’s Temple deliver
up a style of deathrock which is as indebted to modern European purveyors of
the style as its west coast progenitors, but thematically add a sense of
miserablism that seems far more in line with trad goth. Accompanied by a
‘catching up with’ comp Past Laments; which includes the full remastered
versions of two early tapes Temple and Vacuous Contention, third LP Self Ritual
Torture carries forward with the murky and bellicose deathrock the trio put
forth on their self-released material, without feeling the need to polish
things up for the sake of their debut release on Swiss Dark Knights.
Vocalist/guitarist Kalvin Kinzer’s background in crust and crossover thrash is
apparent throughout; from the flailing rage of “Ritual” to the tightly wound
drive of “Fear of The Light”. The mix has a rough and organic muddiness to it
which suits the dreariness of the record’s mood and the straightforwardness of
the guitar harmonics. The trade-off of this deal is that some of the attack of
the drums is lost in the mix, with tracks like “Nausea” lacking the propulsion
their composition calls for.
It’s in the thematic’s
that Temple add a bit of goth rock flair and drama to the deathrock assault.
The backbiting and airing of grievances which drive tunes like “Shapeshifter”
are par for the deathrock course, clearly drawing upon the punk tradition of
settling scores on wax. But tracks like “Loss” and “Far Away” turn things
inward, and have a sense of melancholy and lament over past loves that’s rather
different than punk’s manic self-destruction. The forlorn tone of the vocals
makes for an interesting counterpoint to the tracks themselves, and Kinzer
finds a pained, gulping yowl that would’ve fit right in on just about any 90s Strobe
light or Resurrection act you’d care to name. The subtleties of that sort of
hybridization are of the sort that could go easily unnoticed, but it’s in
details like that that deathrock fans will find a good amount to enjoy in Self
Ritual Torture. Equally menacing and mopey, it should scratch the itch for
aficionados.
