First released back in 1995, Temples Of Boom was a pivotal album for Latino superstars Cypress Hill. Riding on a wave of hype, good times and the incredible success of their previous two albums, it shot straight to third place on the American billboard and quickly went platinum.
Early indications were that they were onto another stirring success, but despite the sales figures, it still only sold a third of the total that previous record Black Sunday managed. The reception from the press meanwhile was decidedly mixed and for the first time, it looked as though the momentum had stalled.
Dark Times for Cypress Hill
This could be attributed to the suffocating cloud of darkness that shrouds the fifteen songs on offer. Cypress Hill had always flirted with grim subject matter but had tempered it with a string of bouncy hit singles that made a perfect soundtrack for summer barbecues. With the exception of Throw Your Set In The Air though, Temples of Boom has all but exorcised their fun loving side and the focus is entirely on slower paced numbers, smothered in thick layers of urban paranoia.
Things were not all well within the band either and Sen Dog actually left for a brief period, unhappy with his limited presence on the tracks. For the first time in their career, it became especially notable that he was playing second-fiddle to B-Real, the raspy voiced Latino handling nearly all the vocal duties. A particularly nasty feud with Ice Cube meanwhile attracted a lot of negative publicity.
Temples Of Boom Revisited
No surprises that it is considered something of a lesser entry in their back catalogue. In the fresh light of day though it still has plenty to recommend and on repeat listens the little nuances and flashes of genius start to make themselves heard.
Illusions for example might be one of their most underrated songs, B-Real stringing together an especially strong set of raps about a man losing his mind. Killa Hill N****S is an aggressive blast of venom, RZA and U-God of the Wu-Tang Clan putting in memorable guest appearances. Hidden at the very end of the album meanwhile is the terrific Let It Rain, perhaps the best of the fifteen, why they never released it as a single forever remaining a mystery.
That isn't to say Temples Of Boom is a misunderstood classic. It's too bleak and given the extended running time, it could certainly do with a few light-hearted singles to break the smog. However, it is perhaps the most atmospheric of Cypress Hill's releases and as a sinister counterpart to their previous records, it still stands up. Black Sunday and the self-titled debut are still the ones to get, but those infected with Latin grooves and looking for more could do a lot worse than giving the third album a try.
