Album Review - Tempestt - Bring Em On

Tempest "Bring Em On" is an album of morbid curiosity and a serious identity crisis. These guys can't decide whether to be heavy, progressive or melodically whatever. It's a mishmash that seems disjointed at times, clicks at others, and on a few choice songs, completely collapses into shambles. Tempestt was a cover project band that decided they had the talent and balls to stake out their piece of the rock pie. They used to cover bands such as Europe, Dream Theater, Bon Jovi, Journey (oh wow, a Journey cover on here no less), etc. Their original compositions are unfortunately just as schizophrenic as their cover choices suggest.

Vocalist BJ is a bit rough around the edges and is smoothed out by the presence of Jeff Scott Soto who singlehandedly punches up the vocal tracks quite a bit, and makes his voice known en force for "Insanity Desire". A shame that he wasn't allowed a larger part in the proceedings. Apparently they are a great live band and thus make up for it on the road but the produced recording lacks alot to be desired.

So here we have a piano driven track that escalates into pompy gritty prog territory with "A Life's Alibi", "Higher (I Can Land)" with power packed vocals and guitar parts that seem to have a split personality disorder - crisp and clean one second, then flipping out in surges of fury on the flip side. The aforementioned Journey cover "Don't Stop Believin'" is also a highlight, seeing Tempestt playing around with the keyboard arrangements and vocalist BJ muscling through the song with more power than finesse. "Faked By Time" makes a failed attempt at being a modern prog piece but just comes out flat and average. Any time changes or flourishes seem tacky (and tacked on) and BJ's voice is lacklustre at best. Maybe he needs more than just Soto punching up his voice.

The rest is scattered in quality and nothing seems memorable for more than a minute. "Enemy In You" drifts around on some poignant guitars and soothing vocals, but is far too long for its own good. A B-side Dream Theater ballad. "Fallen Moon" is fierce and ferocious, dramatic vocals, doomsday atmosphere and then a galloping stallion's pace to the finish. Not bad actually, till the chorus seems to just splatter all over the song like a rotten tomato. Then it falls to "moody" and plodding again, trying oh so hard to be thought provoking and emotionally soul picking, but comes across as just directionless and pointless.

"Insanity Desire" deserves a mention for having the duelling duet of BJ and Jeff Scott Soto as the focal point. They seem suited to each other, with Soto filling in for any of BJ's shortcomings. The song itself is alterna-altered and has a big funky groove to drive it, much like Soto's sideproject of Soul SirKus. Not nearly as polished as "Soul" but a decent diversion that could even find some residual ties to old Conception or Superior or any number of deceased and forgotten 90s "modern" prog acts.

"Too High" has some nice thick chunky guitars that are meatier than Chunky Campell's Sirlion soup. The vocals are screechy and the melodies are start/stop and muddy. A catchy chorus rises to the top of the concoction like the grease chunks in your microwaved soup bowl. BJ's growl-to-screams over the thumpy bass is headache inducing, then to add insult to injury they drop down into cookie monster deathy sounding music. It's so horrid and disjointed you don't know whether to applaud them for having the balls to mix it up so much, or want to smack them for taking some decent elements and then just crapping all over them. The whole mess just needs to be washed down the drainage disposal.

Saddled by poor production, dubious songwriting "skills" and a split personality, Tempestt seems more average and slipshod than inventive. Perhaps they can get it together (and a real producer) to do the follow up. Alright for a debut, but certainly nothing worth bleeding your wallet for. For being Brazil's "next new big thing" this is awfully...average.

Written by Alanna
Monday, April 21, 2008
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Ratings

Alanna: 4.5/10

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