Tempest - 2010 - Passages

Hardcore Punk

[FOR FREE]

http://consume.forgediniron.ca/album/passages

• 6 songs to download
• For free
• Direct Download
• Listening recommendations: Lineage

Impressions

Rarely do I run across punk music through bandcamp that goes for harder edge than mall food court - and you know the kind I mean, without being nearly mind numbingly hard to sit through once, let alone enough times to soak in and review. There's the opposite end of course that's simply thrashing noise which is often equally unlistenable for a multitude of reasons. Along comes Tempest (albeit through a third party and not my usual wasfuersohr manner) and tears the head off of those two with sheer musical virtuosity and unwavering ferocity. I am not normally fond of hardcore, generally due to the vocals being screeches or attempts at grizzly, guttural bellows, failing to capture my attention and detract from the music itself. Somehow Passages is filled with growled vocals I not only didn't hate, but felt melded with the music quite well. Enjoyable even. Of course the vocals being somewhat lost in the ruckus of the instruments might turn some off, but not me. As for those instruments, technically sound guitars and skull crushing floor rattling low end. The rhythm and lead guitars do create one hell of a front-line assault together, with the drum and bass launching mortar fire to back them up. “Death Rattle” exemplifies this with its ridiculous tempo and short length (and “Hierarchy of Greed” is the follow up knock-out to “Rattles”'s gut shot). Rather straight forward in terms of composition, no noodling about with solos or dabbling in different sounds (“Interlude” is, I suppose, but it's the damn interlude, man, it doesn't count), nor are there fancy effects being used to pad the tracks out. Thankfully none of that is necessary here, as Tempest get to the point, and fire on all cylinders across these 7 hard-hitting songs. Those looking for something heavy and pummeling should give Tempest's Passages a look.