TEMPLE BALLS
“Pyromide”
Album Review by Iron Mathew

9/10

Temple Balls are a hard rock band from Finland formed in 2009, releasing their debut album ‘Traded Dreams’ in 2017. The bands sophomore album ‘Untamed’ was released two years later in 2019, with the bands third album ‘Pyromide’ released (coincidentally) two years later in 2021.

During their short career to date, Temple Balls have quickly established a reputation for their high energy, hard rocking stellar live performances, touring with many great bands such as Battle Beast and Sonata Arctica. The band have just released their third album in four years – packed to the rafters with anthemic and melodic hard rock. The album opens with a sonic blast, courtesy of the heavy hitting ‘Thunder From The North’. Full of energy and overly bombastic, ‘Thunder From The North’ has purpose and intent, and is one of the hardest rocking hard rock songs you’re likely to hear all year. ‘Long Ways, Long Lies’ is a softer, more melodic rock offering, but still packs a punch, well more of a jab compared to the albums haymaker of an opening. I can clearly understand why Temple Balls have a reputation for their high energy live performances – the energy of their studio work is incredible.

Delivering a foot stomping anthemic feel, ‘T.O.T.C.’ is big riffing, big hitting hard rock to knock you into next week. The opening triple salvo has been outstanding, butting heads with the likes of Kickin Valentina for sheer rockiness. Re-entering the melodic rock zone, ‘Fallen Youth’ is highly reminiscent of the arena rock bands from the eighties and early nineties. Highly infectious and sing a long able, ‘Fallen Youth’ is the height of classic hard rock. The sleaze style of hard rock makes an appearance in the mighty shape of ‘Bad Bad Bad’. The more sultry and lower toned sound is highly addictive, and actually maintains the albums insane energy levels, taking your breath away at every opportunity. Picking up speed and thundering on at a pace to suit the galloping power metal sound, ‘What Is Dead Never Dies’ rocks hard, and punches harder. Once again I have to mention the energy levels – where do Temple Balls get it all from? Maybe it’s something in the Finnish water, ’cause other Finnish bands such as Battle Beast, Smackbound, Metal De Facto, Celesti Alliance, and Beast In Black also have sky high energy levels…

Swinging into sight and bringing a sprinkling of grunge – only a little sprinkle – ‘Unholy Night’ is a solid rock march. A little darker in sound to the rest of the album, ‘Unholy Night’ still oozes plenty of energy. Making an emphatic impact, the heavy foot stomping and highly anthemic ‘Heart Of A Warrior’ is a melodic monster. A live crowd are gonna go wild for this one, with screams of “heart of a warrior” echoing around venues everywhere. ‘You Better Run’ returns the bands signature hard rocking and heavy punching sound. The term arena rock is highly appropriate here, as ‘You Better Run’ has the size, shape, and sound to fill arenas all over the world. And now for the albums one and only ballad, ‘If Only I Could’ replaces the relentless energy with a mellow meander. Lighters are gonna be well and truly raised high in the air as ‘If Only I Could’ wanders on to a conclusion. And talking of conclusion, the album concludes with the bombastic bashing of ‘Something To Die For’. With the energy levels restored, Temple Balls end their third album with a highly infectious sing a long able anthem.

Overall, a high octane, highly energetic forty four minutes of pulsating hard rock to take your breath away, ‘Pyromide’ is an exhilarating album.

TRACKLIST

Thunder From The North
Long Ways, Long Lies
T.O.T.C.
Fallen Youth
Bad Bad Bad
What Is Dead Never Dies
Unholy Night
Heart Of A Warrior
You Better Run
If Only I Could
Something To Die For

https://templeballsrocks.com/
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