Please tell us a few words about the new release, about the music on it as a whole or a few words on each track in part. How are you happy with the final release?
All of us are extremely pleased with how the album turned out. It's difficult to know how cohesive a collection of songs is going to turn out when you first start putting it together. Listening to the vinyl test presses a couple of weeks ago was a satisfying experience. It's really hard to tell before you hear the absolute end product. Aside from the instrumental aspects of the album I think Mike did a good job of delivering what the album title promised via his lyrics. Songs of Terror and the supernatural indeed.
How would you describe/label the music on it? Does it sounds like anything we might have heard before?
I'm reluctant to list bands by name when trying to draw comparisons because I don't think we really sound exactly like any one band I've ever heard. I will say stylistically speaking, ToV combines elements of all of our tastes including early British doom, Swedish and American death metal and some of the more dirgier, hypnotic bands. Our goal is to combine those styles into cohesive, well written compositions. We try to avoid just stringing riffs together without regard to how the lyrics are going to sit or how all the parts are going to work together as a whole. I think the song-writing is what sets us apart from a lot of other bands.
Where was it recorded and how much time did it take you to record it? Any interesting stories from the recording/producing the material?
The initial tracking was done at a studio here in Michigan called Audiolux. Alex has worked with the engineer there, Mark Hudson, and has been pleased with the results. The guitars, bass and vocals were tracked at Mount Doom Studios, also here in Michigan. A good friend of ours runs it and is a like minded musician who knows how to capture the exact sound we are looking for. That's where we recorded the demo in its entirety.
What can you tell us about the cover artwork? Is there a link between the artwork and the lyrics? What are the topics of your lyrics?
The cover is done by the renowned British fantasy artist, Bruce Pennington. We found the painting in a book of his collected works and knew that was exactly what we wanted. It reflects the sound and atmosphere of the album perfectly. Luckily we were able to track him down through someone on the Internet who is in communication with him and Bruce obligingly licensed the work to us.
What do you expect to gain through this release? What are the band's aims at the moment?
We want the album to serve as an introduction to what we hope is a long and productive run of writing, recording and playing live. In the short term we're focusing on writing for future releases. We'd like to release a 7" Vinyl/CD EP while we're writing for our 2nd album.
Is there a special format the material is released in? Or is it released in multiple formats? How many copies were pressed?
The format I'm personally most excited about is the double LP vinyl release. First press is 100 on black wax and 200 on yellow. It's also available on CD and cassette.
Where and how will you promote this new release?
Our live shows are the best way to become a temple initiate. We will continue to play locally and have plans to expand our reach. There is preliminary talk of a short U.S. East Coast stint in the spring. Beyond the live experience we'll continue to circulate it to blogs and websites, magazines and word of mouth.
Where can we order it from?
The vinyl version on 2xLP can be purchased here: http://sawherghost.net/sawherghost/?p=1542
The CD can be purchased here: www.naturmacht.com/2014/07/rwe004-temple-void-terror-supernatural/
The digital version can be purchased here: https://templeofvoid.bandcamp.com/album/of-terror-and-the-supernatural
October 2014