German Death Metal trio, TEMPLE OF DREAD have released their second album in as many years following on from 2019's Blood Craving Mantras on the same record company. German Death Metal is full of bands from FLESHCRAWL to OBSCENITY, will these guys add themselves to the list of elite bands, or become another name on the list that most people skip. Let's find out.

"World Sacrifice" doesn't hold back from the start, its full-on pace and aggression are easy for us all to hear. The melodies built already are done on speed and aggression, the vocals match this very well. The pace that has been laid down is at a medium level as the song seems to have hit its own mark. The expansion is lacking any real changes for a while, then it just kicks that away with a few clean-cut solo segments to really liven things up. Not a bad start at all, could have stepped up a bit more for me though.

"Commands from a Black Soul" continues the theme laid down already. It has a good sound, decent melodies and pace from the off, with a few bending riffs to throw away any real repetitiveness. The pace dies down in similar motions to how the previous song worked. In the background there sounds like there is something building up. It never truly pops through; the motions have slowed the song right down. It does try to speed things up but not changing the course of the song enough.

"Enforcers of the Vile" has the fast-paced start again, and I'm hoping it doesn't slow down too much like the others have. This one seems better for the most of the song as it keeps a better pace, even it does slow down more than I think it needed to. The melodies are fine, but the songs are a carbon copy of one another at this point. Fast start, slows down for the most of the song, then frantic finish.

"Symbiotic Delusion" starts off slow, no Thrash-filled intro to start off. It pics up pretty quickly to a comfortable level for the band, without stretching the pace out too far, or even being that heavy. The song goes through the motions without gaining any real interest, which is a disappointing outcome from yours truly. The last minute starts with a pulsating solo, again, which is hard to say it's becoming predictable, but it really is.

"Machine" starts without being aware of the previous song ending, this is a new trick on the album, so well played and good placement. The pace seems to have levelled out at faster than we have heard so far, so this is good. This is the first song that I think I would happily have in my playlists. It has aggression, great pace and pulsating melodies, a great song. Best song of the album so far.

"Alive I Rot" kept the pace going from where the previous song left off. Well, it did at the start before dropping slightly, which is still faster than the rest of the songs, excluding the previous. This is more like I was expecting from the album. Did the album gain a new life and start again on track 5? Maybe.

"Dedication" sounds the exact same as the previous song, did it end without the weird sound? This is sounding no different, were they aware? This one seems to have dripped pace, again, but it is too close to the previous song for me to think of anything different about it. The song loses interest towards the end and the melodies don't seem to hit the mark that the last two songs have.

"Sold Baptism (Morgoth cover)" is a cover of a song that I have never heard, so I will base it on what I hear here. So far, not too bad, tempo is controlled well, pace is low but seems to suit the song. Vocals are alright, no real aggression like others here have been. Its not a bad song, it mixes and blends a decent level of talent into the song, but still not making me peak my interest enough.

"Blood Craving Mantra" sounds like THE HU are giving an intro to the song. Good instrumental opening. Building up well as long as you don't concentrate on the shit chanting.  The chance to explode the song into something frantic goes missing, which it has on a few songs. It picks up pace and aggression, which is a trick that has worn thin

There is nothing really special with this album, it is not bad, it will fill in a few gaps in a playlist, but you won't base this album as the core of a playlist, well I at least won't.