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TEMPLE BALLS
Temple Balls

Frontiers Music (2026)
Rating: 8/10

I can’t take the band moniker seriously – I never have – but once I’ve managed to overlook it, I’ve become endeared by this Finnish melodic band that has existed in some form since 2009. This self-titled offering is the fifth full-length album by this Oulu mob who have one foot tip-toeing in 80s nostalgia while the other is positioned in the contemporary heavy rock arena.

‘Tokyo Love’ epitomises the energy, alongside and an ear for a strong chorus; Temple Balls just so crafty at creating infectious hooks. I’d imagine this sort of rock remains popular in Japan, the populace still having a craving for big hair and even bigger choruses. The album is littered with sing-a-long melodies that sound both warm and fresh. I envisage flickering neon lights and creaking leather trousers as ‘Tokyo Love’ struts down a back alley like a cocksure cat owning the tiles.

Everything about the album is crisp, energetic and deliciously melodic in its unflinching pomp as the striding ‘Flashback Dynamite’ ushers the record in with an almost modest nod. Vocalist Arde Teronen has a versatility that takes him from a lower range scowl to higher, clearer ranges. To an extent he has the prime voice for such a sound, displaying his skills wonderfully on the strutting ‘Lethal Force’, the speedy ‘Hellbound’ and the poppier swagger of ‘Stronger Than Fire’. The album flirts with AOR sensibilities but never forgets to inject some weightier grooves: ‘Living In A Nightmare’ boasts a beast of a riff and there’s a funky Led Zeppelin flair to ‘We Are The Night’.

This release does come drizzled with sadness though due to the passing of band member Niko Vuorela (guitar) in October 2025, but the remaining members certainly put on a show he would be proud of. Punchy, confident and feel-good, Temple Balls continue to master the craft of constructing crunchy heavy rock.

Neil Arnold

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