As The Ruins of Beverast enters its twenty-third year of existence, Alexander von Meilenwald’s musical outlet continues to evolve. 2021’s The Thule Grimoires felt like a dip further into gothic and post punk territory without losing the immense black metal and doom foundation, and while it was an album that took a bit longer to click compared to some of the band’s past efforts it was still a strong showing. It has been close to five years since that album released, and where prior The Ruins of Beverast albums were preceded by short form EP’s or splits, this time around that wasn’t the case. Instead, Tempelschlaf has arrived and it finds von Meilenwald taking a more concise and direct songwriting approach. It’s more immediate than its predecessor but still has plenty of depth to uncover, making this another incredible listen.
Alexander von Meilanwald’s work as a drummer prior to The Ruins of Beverast has always given his music a noticeable emphasis on the low end and use of varied rhythms, but it’s especially prominent throughout Tempelschlaf. There are still plenty of dips into slower passages, but for much of its first half the album emphasizes pummeling drum work and soaring riffs that feel like a bridge between the band’s earliest work and its more recent ideas. The title track is a perfect example, as its first few minutes bring back the gothic melodies and psychedelia of The Thule Grimoires but as the tempo picks up the triumphant sounding guitar leads bring things back to the towering black and death metal of years past. “Day of the Poacher” then takes over with a more aggressive tempo and weightier low-end that also ties its rhythms into its subject matter. The first half of Tempelschlaf is filled with this back and forth between the crushingly heavy black/death and somber gothic atmosphere, but the slightly shorter track lengths means there aren’t as many interludes and the riffs pull you in from the very first listen. But where the first half was what drew me in initially, the later tracks reveal a lot of intriguing details the longer you spend with the album. “Babel, You Scarlet Queen” brings back some of the tribal sounding rhythms from Exuvia alongside some captivating melodies, while “The Carrion Cacoon” layers its melodies in ways that have an eerier psychedelic slant. The guitar solos are also worth mentioning, as they make for some stunning peaks that have an overwhelming amount of power.
The Thule Grimoires saw Alexnader von Meilanwald pivot to a lot more singing than in years prior, with some of his range sounding very close to Peter Steele at certain points. Tempelschlaf is split fairly evenly between screamed and sung passages, though upon pressing play you might be thinking that things will fall more on the clean side of the spectrum. This is because the title track emphasizes sung and chanted passages that have a more introspective and almost dreamlike feel to them, but the pitch has changed once again and showcase an additional side of von Meilanwald’s vocal range. “Day of the Poacher” pivots back to the distorted screams and growls, letting them tower above the recording with an immense amount of force. Where a lot of artists would be firmly entrenched in a specific vocal approach seven albums in, The Ruins of Beverast only seems to get more dynamic with each release and the singing on Tempelschlaf is some of von Meilanwald’s strongest yet. Whether that aspect drew you into The Thule Grimoires or you gravitated more towards the harsher ranges on past efforts, there’s something for both sides on this album.
The Ruins of Beverast has been incredibly consistent from one album to the next, as even some of the material I’ve mellowed on a bit over the years is still up there with some of the best metal has to offer. Where The Thule Grimoires did meander a bit at times, Tempelschlaf opts for a more concise and direct approach that allows its material to hit harder and grab you right from the very start. It also finds a middle ground between some of the more gothic and psychedelic leanings of the last album and the power and grit of earlier albums in the discography. Time will tell if this one retains its hold on me as much as the likes of Exuvia or Unlock the Shrine, but so far it seems very possible that may happen and The Ruins of Beverast have already delivered one of 2026’s best releases. Tempelschlaf is available from Ván Records.
-Review by Chris Dahlberg