Die in Peace with "The Peoples Temple" from Council of Nine

Four years have lapsed since our haunting journey into the silent halls of the Waco compound in Davidian, and Council of Nine has brought yet another chilling, spiritual excursion, The Peoples Temple. Composer Maximillian Olivier continues his sonic journeys into the minds and machinations of cults with this third offering, its title alone signals the dread locations and subject matter; the heady and moribund tales of The Peoples Temple and their leader, Reverend Jim Jones, whose name still resonates with awed nominatives in conversation. Heavy and introspective themes are of no consequence to Council of Nine, whose earlier works bely a willingness to plumb the depths of the human mind, pursuant of the fulcrum where the psyche and the spiritual intersect, and this series of albums from Olivier are excellent showcases of such intersections, albeit they are wrapped in a gloomy shrouds of sonic textures of which Council of Nine is known.

The sounds and motifs of this album are unique in their approach, riding a more ethereal headwind with synths and soundscapes; the previous albums had a very oppressive, dangerous droning pall, creating an atmosphere that felt almost like a field recording of walking through the halls of the Heaven's Gate compound, or Waco, whereas The Peoples Temple is presented with more sonic palettes and electronic atmospheres - these musings almost feel like a sonic blanket falling upon the minds of the listener; it is an audio manifestation of the words of Jim Jones slowly enrapturing his disciples, with subtle glitches, and slight manipulations of the tones which add an unsettling nature to the serene backgrounds. Whereas the Exit Earth and Davidian albums were almost a physical journey to the actual locations of the cults, this album is almost a sonic representation of the emotional impact of Jim Jones and his teachings. No track aims to overpower or occlude any other in this album, as each song slowly drifts and transitions into the next, with otherworldly, almost hymnal pads and background underscores that add a malevolent distancing to the mind’s eye. 

Perhaps the best way to describe this album would be that the mere title and brief description compels the listener to begin researching The Peoples Temple and its infamous leader, and the music presented creates the perfect background ambience for such investigation. This music is the background score for the imagination of the reader as they begin to plumb the depths of this truly horrific and shocking moment in American history. These ominous aural hymns will carry the listener from the humble beginnings in Indiana, to California, and ultimately your research will lead one to Jonestown, Guyana, and the subtle harmonies and ambient textures will be with them the entire time, a quiet dirge of subtle sound design. 

I am intrigued and impressed with each interpretation from Council of Nine as these albums release, reminding and even enlightening me to various facets of the different cults as they are featured, and The Peoples Temple is the same caliber and haunting quality from Cryo Chamber that listeners enjoy. You can pick up The Peoples Temple in CD digipak and digital formats on the Cryo Chamber bandcamp page.