Temple Fang have been on consistent rotation for me for the last two years, their long-form psychedelic rock a haven for the senses in the crazy fast paced world we live in. The Dutch band blend elements of traditional 70’s psych rock with the innovative progressive flavours from bands like Elder, King Buffalo, and Papir, delivering songs that are unique, both due to the incredible song-smithing and their wild run lengths. Temple Fang songs are a sprint, not a circuit, rarely returning to base and instead rocketing your mind to the stratosphere.
Aptly titled Lifted From The Wind takes listeners on five insane journeys, with the first two tracks alone longer than most traditional albums. And arguably, even if the album finished after them, it would’ve been a thoroughly worthwhile use of time. Temple Fang don’t follow traditional release patterns, and fans visiting their Bandcamp might be a little confused looking at their numerous records. The band have released two traditional releases up until now, with two other tracks of theirs found on various live recorded albums from around Europe. In the latter, you can see the band’s penchant for mixing things up at their live show and from all reviews I’ve seen, they command the stage brilliantly.
That being said, until now, I didn’t really share Temple Fang too far and wide. Why? Their first album Fang Temple is much, much noisier and with more drone, the few I showed it too finding it a bit too much for a casual listen, despite enjoying the more flamboyant, upbeat sections.
Lifted From The Wind changes all that, with the noise and drone baked in to the mix, or closing out epic tracks perfectly, before leading into yet another consistent and engaging track. The styles flow from one end of their spectrum to the other fluidly, with moods clearer than before, lending more weight to their climaxes and the psychedelia. Songs close out brilliantly and the production value is outstanding, letting your thoughts wander into different universes – nailing the whole point of psychedelic rock. The band themselves feels this truly represents them as a band too, something you love to hear.
“The River”, a sprawling eighteen-minute beast that opens the record is easily one of the best songs they’ve ever delivered as a band. It showcases, I believe every flavour of their music, from their beautifully layered guitar work, excellent psychedelic group vocal patterns, and frenetic prog-rock riffing is represented in the track. Some of the guitar tones used are amazing, especially around the thirteen minute mark, as the track takes another upturn in energy.
“Once” will land more with fans of their live recorded tracks and for fans of Hawkwind. Slower, more rambling, yet ideal for those moments you want to check out from reality. The vocals are amazing and really shine in this track, the range and control really impressive. And most importantly, they take a back seat when needed. Temple Fang had some issues finding a permanent drummer, but new addition Daan Wopereis absolutely kills it on the kit, and gets plenty of room to shine in the mix when the vocals do drop back. The fills he deploys are brilliant and help propel tracks or dampen them at a moment’s notice.
And whilst not as prominent as in some current bands, the bass is glorious in the album. Delivering a thick background layer, the bass helps with the overwhelming psychedelia Temple Fang deliver throughout Lifted From The Wind. This leads to huge climaxes, which are beautifully cacophonic in the way they are borderline jam sessions, and one can only imagine how the band will go off live with this music.
Having launched the album at Roadburn Festival in Tilburg on 4/20 (when you listen you’ll understand why), the band are off on a European tour over summer, hitting loads of festivals and shows, largely in Germany, Belgium and Netherlands. Whilst I hope to see them in the UK, I expect to head over to Europe to catch them on this tour cycle, because quality like this is hard to find in a crowded sea of bands. You can stream the album on most platforms now, with the full release on the 25th of April. Lifted From The Wind goes to the top of my yearly list for now.
