A very solid first offering
Female fronted metal/rock with a gothic tinge is nothing overly new these days; and with huge international acts like Within Temptation, Lacuna Coil and Evanescence soaking up much of the genre’s fan base, newcomers have quite a task in putting out something which is both original and interesting enough to catch a few ears.
So, does Melbourne two-piece Temujin have a sound that is uniquely their own? Is their debut album 1000 Tears up to scratch? Happily, the answer to both of these questions is a big, resounding yes!
While Temujin maybe a fairly new entity in the Aussie heavy music scene, guitarist/drummer/bassist Karl Lean and vocalist/keyboardist Kelly have had plenty of previous experience on both the live front (Karl and Kelly) and as a session musician (Karl). In my opinion this previous experience has certainly served them well on 1000 Tears – the texture and maturity of the album is immediately noticeable (suss out Let You Go or the title track and you’ll see what I mean) – making it sound as though it was the band’s second or third release.
The fantastic textures and unquestionable maturity are not the only things that 1000 Tears has gunning for it however. First up, there are the exceptionally impressive vocal lines that Kelly lays down – full of power, emotion and haunting melody they not only enhance the album’s originality, but also actively shape its direction. The tracks Taken and So Near in particular feature some really standout moments from Kelly and are well worth checking out.
Secondly and equally as important as everything I’ve already mentioned, is the duo’s devastatingly strong song writing abilities. There’s no crazy electronic filler, unnecessary guitar solos, mismatched melodies or random riffery here – everything just fits. Tracks don’t randomly jump of the rails, but instead follow a likely musical track that’s got just enough edge to keep it from being predictable.
There really isn’t much in the way of negative criticism I can say about 1000 Tears, though I must say it would be great to hear the band behind a top quality mix and production – though the band have done an amicable job of this themselves.
At the end of the day 1000 Tears is a fantastic first up offering from a band that is only just beginning to spread its wings – I can’t wait to see what these guys continue to dish up in the near future!
(Independent)
