About.com Rating



Thy Will Be Done steps before the judgment seat with Temple, a six track EP, that is as complete as a psalm and yet as evocative as any proverb. Confusion comes in on a whirlwind with “Liturgy (Jachim),” an emotionally charged tone-poem where the Providence, Rhode Islanders use shrill atmospherics and tortured vocals to rant against the suffering that must be endured.

Taken only on first impression, it’s all sound and fury signifying something, but whatever that might be, little time is given to guess before “In the Ways of the Old” brings in the beat-down.


The track quickly shatters the dizziness of “Liturgy (Jachim)” and breaks out into a groove metal frenzy, which has a rather calming effect before the song slams into full metal violence.

Jay Costa rips a spleen with his vocals. As concentrated as Temple is, Costa leaves an album’s worth of bloody froth around the microphone. Chris Dapreau and Kurt Fraunfelter’s guitars are incendiary and the solos sublime. Economical riffs, tighter than a size 6 dress on a Southern Baptist church lady, leave just enough space for the rhythm section to shine through.

From the underpinning sludginess in “Liturgy (Jachim)” to the fast-meets-slow rhythms in “In the Ways of the Old,” the path is set for the punishing crack of thunder brought by “The Great Rebuilding.” While adorned with the EP’s finest guitar solo, the rhythm track makes one wonder that if double kick beats were dollars, how the wealth generated might be dispersed around the world to make it a better place. “The Great Rebuilding” is powered by drummer Bob Harris’ incredible kicks and bassist Eric Tavarres who lay down an Old Testament thrashing.

The axis that Temple spins upon is emotional outrage and the heartbreak it causes. “You the Apathy Divine” is the main cog that allows Temple to spin around that axis. Initially, it sounds like a melodic groove blaster that catches the ear but passes quickly. After more listens, the song’s tentacles slither up to clutch with anger born out of unfaithfulness, heartbreak and the ultimate powerlessness to break free from these pitiless cycles. “You the Apathy Divine” is both simple and rich, ferociously metallic and yet seditiously soulful.

“The Lion and the Lamb” is the song that arm wrestles “You the Apathy Divine” for best track. Though not quite as layered as “You the Apathy Divine,” “The Lion and the Lamb” is head banging bliss. Its main riff runs up the stairs and down the other side with wicked repeat while Jay Costa puts a hurt on the listener’s memory with clawhammer hooks and a slurred chorus that sounds natural given the way the melody is hammered down four notes at a time by the rhythm section. Heavy as is “The Lion and the Lamb,” again there is the underlying whisper inherent in that biblical phrase, that perhaps a day will come when the selfish and the helpless can reconcile.

Temple ends on another tone-poem “Epiphany (Boaz)”. Here the mood is weary, a finale where it has come time to take a knee and a deep breath. As the left and right columns of Solomon’s Temple were called Jachim and Boaz, they framed the doors guarding a nation’s hope. Thy Will Be Done’s Temple is framed by “Liturgy” and “Epiphany” and between the two, four songs open the doors into the band’s wondrous metal and rage for something to heal the hurt.

(released September 25, 2012 on Eye On Lion Recordings)



Disclosure: A review copy was provided by the publisher. For more information, please see our Ethics Policy.