Hailing from Yogyakarta, stoner/doom duo Temaram was recommended to me by Slinky Bones (The Melting Minds) in the interview I’ve done with him. And I have to say they surprised me with their single and music video to their latest song “Oilslamic State”, so it should come as no surprise that I am eagerly having a look at their discography.
Temaram plays doom/stoner metal, with a healthy dose of drone thrown in. “Revival” is their 2016 demo, released by the Mindblasting Netlabel. The line-up for this demo was Gilang Damar on drums and Yudha B. Nugraha on guitar. Interestingly – although far from being alone -, Temaram is an instrumental band, they don’t have a singer.
The demo consists of two live songs only, but you better reserve a good 20 minutes of your life to listen to them, as both those tracks clock in over 10 minutes each.
Obviously, this music is not for everyone, but if you enjoy the hypnotic repetitive pattern of the distorted guitars and slow, melancholic drums, slowly developing from the simple, almost primitive, sounds, and creating the images of desolated landscapes, you’ll enjoy what Temaram brings to the table.
Personally, I often play their material as a background music, which is quite relaxing (well, at least for me). And as for a favorite, “Reincarnation” gets the vote for a nice chord progression reminding me of my all time favourite doom album by Cathedral (“The Forest of Equilibrium”, if you need to know).
Both songs – “SURI” and “Reincarnation” – feature, in their shortened form, also on Temaram’s first official release, a 2017 album released on CD and tape, which I am going to have a look at next.
Bandcamp: https://temaram.bandcamp.com/album/revival-demo
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/temaram_/
