By DJ Monk
The title of this, the latest full-length offering from Munich “we don’t want to be metalcore” mob Tenside, could not be any more appropriate at this particular in time, with the glamour of the music industry having been severely tarnished by the sense of gloom pervading every aspect of life in the Überverse. In these straitened, self-isolating times, music will remain one of the more trustworthy components of every day life, with the internet affording many of us the opportunity to explore new musical avenues and support the artists we both discover and love in other ways… with us at UR, it will be by continuing to give coverage, especially to new and emerging talents who may otherwise be finding their career development stymied at a key time in its progression.
As intimated in the opening sentence of this piece, Tenside declare that they don’t want to be pigeonholed as purely a metalcore band – but it is hard to escape that very categorization, as ‘Glamour & Gloom’ contains all the characteristics of that particular subgenre, from the winding double guitar miens through to Daniel Kuhlemann’s acidic vocal delivery. Having said that, they do enough – just about – to help them step out of those ever-narrowing ‘core confines, with an overall groove that lies somewhere between early Killswitch, the renascent Trivium, pre-‘Locust’ MachineHead and Lamb Of God’s more reflective moments.
There is nothing earth-shattering or ground-breaking about ‘G&G’. But there doesn’t need to be, as the band have concentrated on producing an appealing, solid slice of metal that states exactly where they are and where they intend to go. And, in that, they have succeeded, as the album is appealing aural experience, and solid as concrete in every department, from the song writing and structuring, the pacing of the tracks, the individual and collective performances to the energy produced and the exact but not over-roasted production. There are some very neat touches as well, such as the use of choral vocals on the likes of ‘The Devil Within’ and current single ‘The Last Anthem’, which contrast nicely with the acerbic nature of the main vocal itself.
‘Glamour & Gloom’ is an album which deserves to be checked out by fans of any of the bands namechecked earlier in this review. It’s an accomplished, more than competent offering and one which, as stated, achieves exactly what it set out to do… and congratulations to the guys for scoring their goals in that regard.
- ‘Glamour & Gloom’ is released tomorrow (Friday 20 March). You can get your copy HERE.
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