#the-temple — Public Fediverse posts

Ten long years passed since Grond released Worship the Kraken, a fun and meaty slab of Bolt Thrower-meets-Autopsy-meets-Lovecraft madness. With such a protracted lull in recording activity, I was sure there was never going to be another Grond record, but lo and behold, The Temple peeked above the horizon just enough for me to catch it on the approach. I quiver with anticipation to see what cosmic horrors await me there.

Grond is the same stomping monstrosity that left the world all those years ago, muscular and be-tentacled as ever. Their Bolt Thrower riffs and nasty bass tone still take center stage, ensuring that any listener’s face scrunches up in grotesque relief (“Weddigen,” “Submergence”). A Temple of Void-like doom/death shroud adorns The Temple in shadowed moods and ominous atmosphere, creating a vastness of scale and stature Worship the Kraken didn’t have (“U-29,” “Dreadnought”). Much like other modern old-school revival acts like Frozen Soul, simplicity is Grond’s best friend, choosing reliable parts and pieces of the death metal arsenal to ensure maximum impact in their songwriting. Thankfully, Grond’s high-fantasy horror theme, frightful guitar pyrotechnics in solos and flourishes (“Dreadnought”), and beefy production help set The Temple apart from contemporary examples of the style and make for a highly engaging 48 minutes.

At first, though, I wasn’t sure if The Temple justified its ten-year incubation period. It’s their slowest, their longest, and arguably their simplest record in terms of structure. I wondered if this meant it offered less substance or weaker engagement. I was wrong. Without sacrificing heft or extremity, Grond doubled down on accessibility and groove to make The Temple their most easily digestible outing thus far (“Pour le Merite,” “Radiant Fury”), but they made considerable effort using accessibility to their advantage. In place of compositional complexity, odd time signatures, or speed, wild lead guitar exhibitionism, gut-punching bass burbles, and clever drum fills abound. This trade, in turn, makes even the most straightforward cuts exciting and distinctive (“The Temple”). Furthermore, revisits uncover even more nifty details and entertaining embellishments—again sourced primarily from the guitar work—that bring depth and charm to The Temple for which initial impressions don’t account.

The Temple boasts many traits and nuances that not only make it a joy to return to, but also help shrink its inflated runtime, yet some areas could still use a trim. At a bloated six-and-a-half minutes, the title track only barely justifies its length with the strength of its guitar work, but would be stronger still with a full minute or so hacked off the first half for brevity. In fact, most of The Temple’s nine tracks toy with that ambitious six-minute barrier. While a vast majority of them don’t feel nearly that long, they all have at least one small grouping of measures that, if culled, wouldn’t detract from the compositions to which they belong (“Weddigen,” “Dark Solitude of the Sea,” “U-29”). Additionally, instrumental intro “Rotter Himmel” adds very little to the whole except to tumble right into the opener proper. At three minutes, it begs either to be nipped, tucked, and integrated into “Weddigen,” or to be cut altogether.

Aside from a spot of bloat, there’s a lot to enjoy in The Temple. It’s a rare kind of classically informed, doom-tinged, mid-paced death metal that grows with every spin. Grond achieved that grower status with their third LP, and it was worth the ten-year wait. It might not be a groundbreaking album, but competes well in its field and pairs very nicely with other Lovecraft-inspired death metal from the likes of Sulphur Aeon or Corpsessed. So if that’s your bag, Grond’s your monster. Choose your vessel, and enter the gate The Temple!

Rating: Very Good
DR: 5 | Format Reviewed: ~260 kbps VBR mp3
Label: XTreem Music
Websites: grond.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/grondrus
Releases Worldwide: April 30th, 2026

Cory Michael Smith, Vic Carmen Sonne & Tamara Podemski Join Daniel Zolghadri In Horror Film ‘The Temple’
#Casting #CoryMichaelSmith #DanielZolghadri #TamaraPodemski #TheTemple #VicCarmenSonne

https://deadline.com/2026/02/cory-michael-smith-vic-carmen-sonne-tamara-podemski-the-temple-1236706574/

Daniel Zolghadri In Talks To Star In Sci-Fi Horror Film ‘The Temple’
#Casting #CalvinThomas #DanielZolghadri #JonahLewis #TheTemple

https://deadline.com/2024/11/daniel-zolghadri-circling-the-temple-sci-fi-horror-film-1236170873/

> The Temple actively monitors the social-media feeds of critics and interested parties—my [Helen Lewis's] name turned up in an internal document for tweeting a comment request at a former member—and excommunicates those who, like the Sober Faction, challenge its authority.

#SoberFaction #TST #TheTemple

TST is a threat because people who support #TheSatanicTemple don't understand that the Temple is *not* the #SevenTenets, it's *not* their own local community, and it's *not* the vibe they have for the religion they wish it was.

TST is two men who consider #TheTemple to be their private intellectual property to be controlled and weaponized against all of their enemies — which are primarily anyone who to the left of Ronald Reagan, especially if they're actively being critical or demanding financial transparency.

@alienskyler So the way it works is that #TheSatanicTemple presents a story that works as "man bites dog" for the liberal,-to-centrist mainstream media. Essentially some variation of, "Satanists do good thing"

*Usually* #TheTemple can count on a weak reporter from an overworked/understaffed local legacy newsroom to re-write their press release in AP style, quote something from the website like the #SevenTenets, and/or call up Christians who hate #TST to get their quotes and "side of the story". Boom! "both sides" being represented and "objectivity" fulfilled.

If so, it makes the next step easier but it's not required: Christian Nationalists and other reactionaries have their media outlets and commenters say, "This is the end of the world! The Satanic Panic is real, and DAS JU- erm, the Satanic pedophiles and Hollywood elite, of course, um, anyway, THOSE PEOPLE are trying to do satanic rituals with abortions to kill babies, and THOSE PEOPLE are trying to indoctrinate your children in their schools, and THOSE PEOPLE want to shove their ridiculous, offensive joke religions down our throats."

Then liberal-to-left news outlets and commenters see this and react to it by mocking the fundies because "ACKSHUALLY, The Satanic Temple is non-theisic™ and the way they describe themselves is in positive terms anyone can agree with. Conservatives are so STUPID," etc., etc.