1	The Wild Hunt
2	Final Execution
3	Requiem
4	Forced To Smile
5	Miseria
6	Splitting the Atom
7	White Gold

El Moono

Temple Corrupted

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Genre: Alternative Rock.
Released: 04/02/2022
Via Lockjaw Records

EP Review: El Moono – Temple Corrupted

El Moono are an up and coming Alt-rock outfit from the UK that have found success from their previous EP titled ‘Tides’ and will be hoping for more of the same with their new release ‘Temple Corrupted’. This new EP promises to mark a new era for the band so I had to see what that meant. Here are my thought’s on the new release.

Kicking the EP off is ‘The Wild Hunt’ which is a brief yet impactful instrumental that sets the scene for the entire record. It flows nicely into ‘Final Execution’ and the ambience continues throughout this track’s intro. A slow and methodical beat is laid out for the listener before Zac Jackson’s soft yet assertive vocals come into the fray. The song is a rollercoaster of peace and panic which allows the listener to get a real understanding of what the band are capable of.

Following that is the track ‘Requiem’. A beefy number that is carried by its memorable guitar work along with a nice use of suspense before dropping into heavier passages. ‘Forced To Smile’ is up next and this is an odd one for me. I couldn’t help but feel that the track was a bit too all over the place and the distortion seems way too heavy on the gain. Personally did not enjoy this track and can’t see myself going back to it. On the other hand, ‘Miseria’ has a wonderful intro that comes across as quite elegant and delicate before the introduction of the distortion comes back into play. The contrast on display throughout this track is wonderful and the song is paced well.

As the EP draws to a close, ‘Splitting the atom’ works well at creating a break in the chaos and allows the listener to feel refreshed before unleashing the final track titled ‘White Gold’. Unfortunately, this song is really out there. It’s certainly an acquired taste and I must not have it as the song is full of a lot of vocal effects and the amount of reverb being used is pretty overkill. Not to mention the guitar tone sounds as if black metal has been mixed with sludge metal. A disappointing end to the release.

I think El Moono has released an ok EP here however there is a lot of room for improvement. When they get thing’s right, it works really well yet the lows are quite noticeable for me. I will certainly be keeping an eye on their future releases to see how they develop but for now, I’d have to pass on them.