Shaolin Temple of BooM 'The Equinox'

Since 2005 Shaolin Temple of BooM has been defying the guidelines of the modern day music industry with they're completely independent music. With prequels like the debut 'Projektor EP' and 2008's 'Deus Ex Machina' Shaolin Temple of BooM has established themselves as one of the worlds forerunners in bringing the independent music industry into the 21st Century.

With the latest release of 'The Equinox', Shaolin Temple of BooM singer/songwriter David Alvarez has extended the boundaries of Shaolin Temple of BooM and the result is an album which defies, not just the general direction of the genre but also of the origins of a band which has gained massive following from thousands of people worldwide and accomplished industry figures alike.

The very first track on the album 'After The Fall' has been available to stream off the bands Myspace page and as a free demo for a few months now, but the album version of the track brings a whole different feel to the rest of Shaolin Temple of BooM's catalogue of music. Being one of the heaviest tracks on the CD, 'After The Fall' is reminiscent of the 'Deus Ex Machina' version of the ever popular 'Into Nothing'. Its a heavy guitar driven track which will satisfy the pallets of both classic rock and metal fans alike.

'Relentless Fixation' is yet another very well written track from songwriter David Alvarez, and is faster and slightly heavier than a majority of the bands older songs. 'Relentless Fixation' puts David's dislike for conformity into song form and is his way of saying that he won't follow the trend of general society, but will continue to show his independence in a way which allows the flow of freedom into his music.

'A Random Series of Events' is the third track on the album, and its again focused around the heavier side of Shaolin Temple of BooM's sound. The vocals in this track are far from anything we've heard on previous releases, with David using both heavy choruses and softer verses which act as a combination of former tracks such as 'Deus Ex Machina' and 'Entwined'.

'I Would Destroy' is the centerpiece of the album and has been the track which has seen Shaolin Temple of BooM's sound transform over the past year. The video for 'I Would Destroy' was released roughly 6 months ago and was the first music video in the 5 years of this bands existence. The very heartfelt track morphs from slow, piano-based verses into heavy yet emotional choruses and again showcases the songwriting prowess of David Alvarez. This track uses every aspect of David's musical ability and the outcome is an amazing 6 minutes of complete musical individuality and expertise. By far the greatest song in Shaolin Temple of BooM's ever growing catalogue of quality industrial/rock music.

With 'The Last Day of the Sun', we see that this album is alot more diverse than previous releases. 'The Last Day of the Sun' concentrates around David's vocals which have become an anthem to many, over top of a heavy Alice In Chains style track with the kind of flowing guitars and electronic overdubs which have seen Shaolin Temple of BooM make a name for themselves over the past 5 years.

'Always, Everything' is the sixth track on the album, and is a slow piano-based song with emotional vocals. By listening to this track, its evident that there is a story behind it, but without the lyrics painting a clear description of this, its up to you to decide the meaning behind song. 'Always, Everything' provides the album with a severe change in direction, but this change is one which is very welcome and goes to show that even rock and roll has an emotional side.

The title track 'The Equinox' starts off quieter and more focused on clean vocals and melodies than we have heard from Alvarez. Throughout 2009, Shaolin Temple of BooM released many demos and free downloads which saw the gradual maturity of a truly talented individual, and this track showcases the development of Shaolin Temple of BooM's sound into something unrivaled by any musician in the business.

The final track on the album is 'A Dark Star Burning in the Dead of Night'. With the faster introduction to the album through 'After The Fall', this track brings 'The Equinox' to a slower, less distorted close. While most of Shaolin Temple of BooM's quieter tracks are all piano tracks, 'A Dark Star...' is focused around clean, slow guitars and electronic overdubs which have been evident since the birth of the band, with release of the 'Projektor EP'.

Shaolin Temple of BooM's new album 'The Equinox' is now available through Bandcamp and Amazon.
Check www.ShaolinTempleofBooM.com or www.myspace.com/shaolintempleofboom for details.
For all live dates and current and future tours, be sure to check out the bands Myspace page.