"Of Solitude Triumphant" is the second full-length album from the Greek doom metal band THE TEMPLE. They have also released a demo, an EP, and a split album with ACOLYTES OF MOROS. This is how their press release describes this album:

"The new temple pillar. Hear these words, vilifiers, and pretenders; the finest doom band from the Hellenic Republic has returned for their second outing in triumph! Building upon the foundations of their house of worship, their solemn threnodies of purest doom take the form of a concept album about a soul's journey from coming into being all the way through rebirth, loss, the fear of death, and ending with it at peace in the Light."

I'm not sure I've heard any other Hellenic doom metal bands, so I can't speak to that claim. However, I will say that "Of Solitude Triumphant" did not grab me upon first listen. It took a couple of plays for it to really sink in.

The first track, "Me To Lichno Tou Astrou," would be right at home introducing a GHOST album, with its choral singing and pipe organ. It's a fine way to open this album until about halfway in, and then it gets a little bit monotonous. That's only a nitpicky issue, though, it is only three minutes long, and then you get to the meat of the album.

"The Foundations" is the second track. It starts with some slow, heavy riffing, as one would expect. Then, in come the tremolos. I was pleasantly surprised by this addition, especially when paired with a doom riff supplied by Stefanos. I know they aren't the first doom band to add in some tremolos, but they are well-utilized in this song. The vocals are more chanted than sung, but it still works.

The album has seven tracks but runs for fifty minutes. It is also bottom-heavy since the better tracks are deeper into the album. The last three tracks are all worth mentioning. The fifth track, "A White Flame For The Fear Of Death," is a solid doom metal song. It has the gothic, chanted vocals and the slow and heavy rhythm section of the previous track. There aren't any tremolos, and I'm glad they were left out. There are also some faster lead guitar solos that pair well with the rhythm guitar lines. The thing that took hold of me about this track is the songwriting. Every note is in the right place.

"Premonitions Of The Final Hour" is the slowest track on "Of Solitude Triumphant." This one is full of swells. There aren't any huge crescendos, but the builds still got me pumped. I do take issue with the vocals to a small degree. They can be too in-your-face with the chant-singing at times. There's also a little too much of a lull before each big swell. Again, these are not song-ruining gripes. Even though I would say that this is the weakest track on the album, it's still a solid album.

The final track, "Lord Of Light" is exemplary of the best of what "Of Solitude Triumphant" delivers. Also, the tremolos make a second appearance. The song begins with the toll of a cathedral bell. The same bell makes about one too many rings throughout the song's nine minutes. On the other hand, the pacing is spot on.

I felt like THE TEMPLE accomplished what they set out to do with their concept. The narrative is easy to follow, and the songs are well-written. I found myself thinking, "That's not that big of a deal." a few times. They don't exactly reinvent the doom metal wheel, but they definitely know how to put out a great product. I got a kick out of the spot-on tremolos. I would recommend "Of Solitude Triumphant" to anyone who is a fan of doom metal