Review: Temptations Wings ‘Marauders Of The Killing Moon’

Within the Blue Mountains of North Carolina is the city of Asheville, a city famous for being the birthplace of author Thomas Wolfe, and also for being a popular filming location (The Hunger Games, Hannibal, Forrest Gump, and many more were filmed in the area). It’s also the home of heavy metal’s Temptations Wings, an incredible band of musicians who are getting ready to return with their newest album, Marauders Of The Killing Moon; available November 26th via Pennsylvania’s Electric Talon Records.

I had never heard any of Temptations Wings music prior to this new release, so I wasn’t sure what to expect as I began listening. I knew they had a very doom metal name, but what I received was so much more than just doom, and so much better than I could have ever been prepared for. 

My favorite song is near the end of the album, entitled Child Of The Mountain. As I listened to this song, I realized what I truly enjoy about it is the fact that it really seems to pull in all of the tricks they have to offer. They deftly employ Sabbath fueled riffs, and dual guitar harmonies that could fit in on any Iron Maiden album, the guitar tone is more heavy metal than doom or stoner, and the clean sections are beautiful, adding a dynamic shift that suits the song perfectly.

I also feel that this one also utilizes the most diverse vocal performances on the album, I absolutely love what they accomplished on every aspect of the vocals! This song is easily a 10/10 for me, it’s that good in my opinion. I don’t normally rate tracks/albums in that way, but I really want to portray how strong a track this truly is.

The album opener is a ripper going by the name of Warlords. This was actually the first music I checked out before deciding to accept this review, and it sold me within the first minute. The intro is very melodic and serves as a perfect launching pad for the main riff; a galloping beast that I immediately loved. There’s an Iron Maiden vibe here, but also a very European, pagan metal feel too. As the verse kicks in over the top of the gallop, the song gathers intensity and power, and the ride through the rest of the track is as equally as impressive. There’s also some tasty lead guitar playing to be heard on this one!!!

Marauders Of The Killing Moon is amazing from beginning to end, there are no weak tracks, no cheesy filler, nothing but great songwriting and stunning vocal performances…

Silent Assassin is up next and is unbelievable in its own right. There’s an incredible amount of things to love about this song, among them is the large 1980s metal vibe, which hits upon Iron Maiden and Judas Priest in spectacular style. You can really tell that these guys paid attention to what both of those bands were doing in their classic eras, and then applied it to their own music with great success. There’s also a touch of doom metal towards the end, which is never a bad element to add in.

I was out walking when I first heard the next track, Altars Of Sabbath, and was unaware of its name at the time. I was just grooving along with the riffs, and when I heard the third Black Sabbath song title in the lyrics, I decided to start paying more attention to what was being said.

I soon discovered that this was all about Black Sabbath, the way they applied the song titles from across the Sabbath discography is really creative. While using them to tell the story of their original song, they’re also paying homage to what I would imagine is one of their biggest influences. The music is a direct reflection of that, and the band really captures the Black Sabbath sound while still holding onto their own identity in the process.

Walk In The Woods closes out this incredible album with an acoustic based flair. The mellow feel somehow keeps the energy flowing, I feel this is due to the way the notes are being strummed, while also bringing everything to a sweet end using the same tactics that Tony Iommi used in the slower passages on the Master Of Reality album. It’s a beautiful ending to a superb album.

Marauders Of The Killing Moon is amazing from beginning to end, there are no weak tracks, no cheesy filler, nothing but great songwriting, and stunning vocal performances across its entirety. I believe that this is an album that fans of the New Wave of Traditional Heavy Metal will grasp onto but will also cater to the people who love doom and stoner, among the many others that just love good, heavy music.

Temptations Wings are very diverse, very talented, and deserve to be heard … preferably at high volume!! Enjoy!!!!

Label: Electric Talon Records
Band Links: Facebook | Bandcamp | Twitter | Instagram

Scribed by: Tom Hanno