Poets of the Fall: Temple of Thought

It was only two days back that I read somewhere that Poets of the Fall have released a new album. 20 minutes later I was in my room with my headphones on and the door of my room locked. There was no way anybody was going to disturb me for the next 40 minutes or so. So I went and immersed myself in the music, ready to be surprised and knowing I would spend some time marveling at the lyrics. I was still unprepared for the emotional rollercoaster the album would put me through. I went from smiling at its beauty to crying bitter tears and back again, in-between being completely in awe of what I was hearing. When I came up for air I was shaken to the core and rather speechless. It took quite a few more 'listenings' before I was ready and able to put my feelings into words. In the first days of listening I got so lost in the music that the world outside completely disappeared. When I came out of my trance-like state, I knew I needn’t have worried…

The fact is, Poets of the Fall have always managed to impress me with every collective album they’ve released – though in varying degrees – not only for the strong melodic structure of their songs and tone in each album, but also for their strong songwriting. Every time I sit to write I find myself swept along by the music & forget to actually type.  Seldom do I find an album to be so all-consuming.  Well, let’s face it: Temple of Thought picks up exactly where Twilight Theater ends.

The sound is clear and full, it’s pure joy to just listen to the music. It never ceases to amaze me how a band that produces and mixes all their songs in their own studio still manages to sound better than at least 80% of all music out there. Captain is truly a master of arranging, mixing and producing music.

 Poets of the Fall hit all the right notes & Temple of Thought is a beautiful melange of styles.  If you’re looking for an album of 2012 this is it!

Tracklisting: 

1. Running Out of Time (3:10)
2. Temple of Thought (4:35)

3. Cradled in Love (4:41)

 4. Kamikaze Love (3:39)
5. The Lie Eternal (4:32)
6. Skin (4:26)
7. The Distance (5:03)
8. Show Me This Life (4:26)
9. Morning Tide (4:38)

10. The Ballad of Jeremiah Peacekeeper (5:04)
11. The Happy Song (4:19)

I was instantly sucked in by the opening of Running Out of Time.  Olli Tukiainen (lead guitar) & Jaska Mäkinen (rhythm guitar) start things out with a rapid pace & a heavy rhythm chord.  Add in Jari Salminen‘s drums & by the time Marko Saaresto‘s vocals rip out I feel like I should, in fact, be running.  Olli shows off his ability to play blistering guitar with technical precision toward the end of the song.  I expected a boisterous end but Marko changes things up & the last sound is but a whisper of “time“.  It’s easy to get caught up in the catchy music while singing along.  The lyrics are typical of POTF & it is worth grabbing the liner notes & really taking a look at the words on the page.

‘Temple of Thought’ is the first song on the album that brought me to the verge of tears. It is one of the most beautiful love songs I have ever heard and my immediate reaction was “I want someone to feel like that about me!” When Marko sings, “chills come racing down my spine” I can feel just that and get goosebumps that last for the rest of the song. It perfectly conveys the feeling of being deeply and utterly in love, knowing the feeling is mutual. The perspective in the song changes from “I” in the first verse to “you” in the second verse and “we” in the bridge. In the verses, the protagonist of the song starts from describing what he feels and wants to do to what his lover does and means to him to saying what it feels like when they are together. The chorus is a promise to his lover. In these lyrics I feel a mixture of very new love and all the excitement that comes with it, as well as love that has been there long enough to be sure of it. I really want to be so much in love again that I’d feel compelled to tell someone they are “the heart of my temple of thought”.

The musical talents of POTF are not lacking by any means & their ability to go from gentle love songs to heavy metal on the same album makes for a fantastic listening experience.  The Lie Eternal falls somewhere in the middle.  Rhythm guitar & percussion are weighty; the vocals gritty with the reality of a lie readily believed.

POTF close out this album with a song by their gaming alter-ego Old Guards of Asgard (a fictional band from the Alan Wake video game).  The Happy Song is an oddly named song because it has very little to do with being happy.  Rather it is violent metal with touches of insanity.  It’s catchy, singable & slightly scary… nothing like taking all the expectations built up over an album & flipping it on its ear.

Poets of the Fall take this album for a wild ride.  They explore the human condition thoroughly through our connections to Love–lost, found, desperately clung to and pushing us into moments of reckless abandon.

With this, I will leave you and I wish you a good journey through this album once it arrives on your player. If you love Poets of the Fall I assure you that you won’t be disappointed. This album contains some of everything that makes them so special as a band and I’m sure it contains something for each one of their fans.