Album Review: Temple of the Stars – Nightspirit (Inverse Records)

Temple of the Stars is the new band of Tobias Tåg who is a multi-instrumentalist and songwriter from Korsholm, located at the west coast of Finland.

His music is sonically nocturnal and melodic, with a lot of folk elements presented within an atmospheric rock context. Nightspirit will be released on May 10th 2019 via Inverse Records.

The first thing that really hits you with this album is the folk elements. It’s heavily presented across all 8 tracks. Opening with a flute and delicate vocals, the title track is a light and airy song with just a little more of a push in the chorus. Sweet enough if not exactly exciting.

It flows like a babbling brook into Fields of Time, a just as mellow sounding track again introducing it with heavy flute use. Get used to hearing that particular instrument although we do get a more powerful and robust guitar sound here to stop it going completely off the folk cliff.

In the Forest Sky then really sells the peacefulness of the locale Temple of the Stars take us to on this album. Followed by the prettiness of Mist of Morning, the wispy cool air blowing through your hair. Tobias Tåg certainly knows how to create atmosphere and sell it with his lovely vocals.

A personal favourite comes next in the form of Chains of Fate. A favourite because of how peaceful and light the melody feels. If this track was food, it would be a soufflé made by a world class chef.

The penultimate track Ages breaks convention by being a more focused rock track, the folkier elements being replaced with atmospheric sounds and a deeper guitar rhythm. Near the end it almost sounds post. Before the final track, Lands of Old brings back the folk elements with a bang. A lengthy finish, it’s not much different to what we’ve already heard. Neither a spectacular ending or a disappointing one.

Temple of the Stars – Nightspirit Full Track Listing:

1. Nightspirit
2. Fields of Time
3. In the Forest Sky
4. Mist of Morning
5. Chains of Fate
6. Cycles
7. Ages
8. Lands of Old

The album will be available via all major streaming services where the current singles are available. Find out more about Temple of the Stars by going to their website, Facebook Page, Twitter and Instagram.