Temple of Thought by Poets of the Fall Review

I have been waiting for this new album for a while now and I was so excited when it finally got released. I have been a Poets of the Fall fan for a long time and they have never failed to disappoint me.

Who are Poets of the Fall you ask? Well, they're a rock band from Finland (they're really giving us awesome bands huh?) the homeland of other very well known bands like The Rasmus and Apocalyptica. The band mainly consists of Marko Saaresto (vocals), Olli Tukiainen (lead guitar), Markus "Captain" Kaarlonen (keyboards, production). And of course other members who accompany them on tour. 


Poets of the Fall has sold over 100,000 records in Finland alone (wow impressive!).


Also, if you think they sound familiar that's probably because their music has been used in various other media such as video games (Max Payne 2 and Alan Wake) and TV shows (Heroes). 

After major hits like War and Carnival of Rust one would think how on Earth are they going to top those? The answer would be: what the hell are you talking about? We're Poets of the Fall! We top everything! And they sure did!

I listened to the album a few times and every single time it just keeps getting better and better. The first song I listened to was The Temple of Thought and I kept playing it over and over thinking how can the rest of the album be any better than this? But it is. Each song was better than the one before and I find myself replaying a song 5 times before I move on to the next.

To me, what makes Poets of the Fall so unique than other bands is their song writing and arrangement of music. They don't just stick to guitar, bass and drums but they also tend to incorporate other instruments like violins and synthesizers. I can tell straight away if a song is playing somewhere that it's them.

There are noticeable differences between Temple of Thought and other Poets of the Fall albums song writing wise. Almost all of the songs are written in prose form, as if they're stories being told. This for me just made all the songs more special and gave the lyrics a lot more meaning.

One song that really stands out in this album is The Happy Song that's used in the video game Alan Wake's American Nightmare. I think it's a nice twist to have something so different. :)

The album ranges from calm melodic love songs like Cradled in Love  to fast paced tracks like Running Out of Time.

When you listen to a song like Temple of Thought you can't help but feel emotional, you feel like you want someone to tell you these words.

So when you’re restless, I will calm the ocean for you.

In your sorrow, I will dry your tears.

When you need me, I will be the love beside you.

I’ll take away all your fears. I’ll take away all your fears.

So you can let go all your fears.

Just beautiful. Marko's voice really stands out in this song and you can hear the beautiful acoustic guitar. The lyrics for this specific song really move me and for me, it just shows how talented Marko is with expressing himself and making us listeners feel the words and not just hear them. 

Another great track is The Ballad of Jeremiah Peacekeeper. Now there are many different views on this song and what it conveys. The song has an old Western feel like from an old movie, you feel the song is talking about the life of a hero and he's struggling through his life for love and peace. "He takes on the world all in a stride. And your wounds will be scars." 

 Now I don't want to go into all of the songs, I'd rather let you listen to the album yourself and just be...amazed. All in all, this is an amazing album and it's totally worth buying. Poets of the Fall managed again to entrance us with beautiful lyrics and music. Here are 2 songs you can listen to and tell me what you guys think. :)