Band – Temnein
Album – Tales: Of Humanity And Greed
Country of Origin – France
Genre – Melodic Death Metal
Release Date – May 22, 2020
Label – Independent
Author – Bret Casey
Who doesn’t love a good story? Nobody that’s who.
Growing up I was what some might consider a strange child. Dark fairy tales and folklore were a favorite of mine growing up. I just blame it on “happily ever after” being too predictable. So I’ve got to tell you, hearing some of those tales in death metal form was literal music to my ears. The song Yuki Onna especially brought me back, I haven’t heard that tale since I was twelve!
Temnein of France has brought to life a collection of folk stories, along with a few pop culture-based stories, to entertain the masses. Let’s take a peek behind the theatre curtain and see just how it holds up.
The music sets the tone nicely. It’s as dark, atmospheric, and heavy as the lyrics themselves. The music draws from melodeath, black metal, and symphonic metal and blends them in ways reminiscent of Dark Tranquility, Insomnium, and some Dimmu Borgir.
The guitar hooks can be downright infectious with standout tracks being A Few Drops Of Blood, The Knotted Bag, and The Blind And The Greedy (my favorite is The Knotted Bag). And when it’s time for the clean guitars to make an appearance look no further than the intro to I Am Davy Jones.
All the singing is performed with screams which surprisingly sounds right at home when I Am Davy Jones takes on a more rock tone. Jocelyn Fidry screams and enunciates extremely well, I never had to look at the lyrics to know what he was saying, a rarity even with all my years of listening to death metal.
The album can feel a little long, but I think that just comes with the story based territory. I mean, how many stories can you sit through before you start fidgeting?
So what’s their biggest sin? Using fade-out to end tracks. Can we leave fade-out back in the ’90s where it belongs? The use of fade-out was especially annoying in The Blind And The Greedy. You’re still singing! Why are you making me strain my ears to hear the end? This was the only moment listening to the album where I was completely taken out of the zone. (side note: my OCD hates the unnecessary colon in the album title too, but that has no bearing on the review).
Overall I thoroughly enjoyed this album despite the occasional yawn from “story fatigue”. I recommend this album to any fan of melodeath or story fueled music.
Biography: Bret Casey is a music enthusiast from Maine USA with ties to the death metal and punk communities. When he isn’t reviewing music he’s spending time with his wife and kids or gaming with his friends and family.
