Album Reviews : Temujin – 1000 Tears

Now, I’m going to put this bluntly, I’m not generally a fan of gothic metal/rock. I find the majority to be quite dull and severely lacking in any power or emotion. Apart from a few highlights, I find Temujin’s debut full-length, “1000 Tears”, follows that trend. However that’s of course just personal taste, as far as the writing and execution, this two-piece is just as solid as most others within the genre.

“1000 Tears” is essentially a play-by-numbers album. The band sticks to the basic formula and rarely deviates much at all. I say this time and time again, but the moments when the band stop copying out of the textbook are also the times they stand out that bit more. “Blue Jay” see’s the keys stripped away and the guitars coming to the forefront, with a little extra punch of power, and many of the guitar solos (see “Throwing Stones”) have a more classic metal/dirty blues feel to them at times. The ‘growling’ male vocals on that same track are something I definitely hope they stay away from in future though. I’m not sure what they’re trying to do there, but they are simply bad vocals, full stop. The electronic sounds and effects occasionally used don’t work too well either. They’re useless, not improving the sound at all, and often sounding thrown-in for the sake of using them.

The production is less than pleasing. The audio levels seem to waver very regularly. Certain songs see the great female vocals soaring over the top; others see them shoved behind everything else resulting in an indecipherable mumble. Similarly, the guitars seem to reach for a bit of real power, but always seem to fall back into a subdued, somewhat muddy sound. The bass guitar is fairly prominent which is great to hear for a change, and the drums sound good but uninteresting. If this band ever has the opportunity to redo a few of these tracks then I hope they jump at it because the sound really does let this down even more.

“Temujin” aren’t breaking any boundaries, and if you aren’t a fan of the music style, they aren’t going to change your mind. But, if you are a gothic fan in general, this album is worth having a listen to. 6/10

Band: Temujin
Album: 1000 Tears
Year: 2007
Genre: Gothic metal/rock
Label: Renaissance Records
Origin: Victoria, Australia
www.myspace.com/temujin1

Track listing:
1. Find Me
2. 1000 Tears
3. So Near
4. Let You Go
5. Spiral
6. Down
7. Blue Jay <- Reviewers Choice
8. Taken
9. Sheltered
10. Haunted
11. All of You
12. Throwing Stones
13. Heart and Soul