The Australian three-piece ensemble SHAKE THE TEMPLE hail from Melbourne and were formed in 2018. They actually were a solo project for John Joseph. He wished to start a band that would play music in the style of the seventies and eighties. And that is exactly the feel that he has achieved, only with a sound that also buts them straight into the current times. The positive effect of this is that it prevents the music on offer to sound too old or even outdated. I for one don't mind bands relieving the past, but when you want to rehash it all, please add some of your personal influences where possible. And SHAKE THE TEMPLE certainly does that with their brand of Power Metal/Heavy Rock

The band didn't exactly have a smooth ride to get where they are today. After a good launch they were picked up to play live on the stages in their area, and to promote themselves they released "Huntsman". That was a success, so it was followed by "Martini", which gave them even more exposure. However, in February 2020 band leader John Joseph suffered a brain aneurysm. Talk about a setback. Now the band had to wait for him to recover. They didn't have to wait too long, as the release of "Who I Am" in May of 2020, followed a month later by "Precious Lover". In July they even put out "If You And I Could Make It", keeping the attention in SHAKE THE TEMPLE on a high level.

The band would have liked to release their debut album "Shake The Temple" a lot earlier, but together with his brain aneurysm the COVID-19 pandemic through the spanners in the works. That explains why we had to wait until the end of 2021 before it actually and finally saw the light of day. On "Shake The Temple" the band tries to sound quite heavy and melodic and they are doing just fine with that. But to be quite honest, they sound their best when they become just that little more melodic. Best examples are "Who I Am", "Martini" and especially "Late Indicator", where they remind me of the Canadian band SANTERS. That's when SHAKE THE TEMPLE really shines. I'll have more of that, please.

All together I can conclude that "Shake The Temple" is a very pleasant album, brought by a band that has the ability to grow a lot bigger if they wish to do so. One can only hope.