The Delicate Sound of Thunder
In a world of progressive music where unorthodox time signatures are practically mandatory and songs can all too easily become swallowed up by their own pretentious sense of existence, effectiveness through a more modest level of complexity can be a welcome respite. Formed in 2009 by gothic metallers Season's End guitarist Tim Goatham, UK rising stars Tempus Fusion have their crosshairs set on the heavier side of progressive metal, with an arsenal of razor-sharp riffs mercilessly plucked from only the darkest corners of the cosmos. As We March To The Fields Of War greets with a war speech overlaid by atmospherics, and the immediate impression is one of quality and tastefulness rather than one of poorly executed ideas. With that first hurdle cleared, the real test looms ahead.
An hour passes, and by the time the final keyboard effects have faded out into nothing, the realisation dawns that Tempus Fusion really have created something quite special here. Slotting neatly in between their unquestionable European metal influences and the less perplexing facet of progressive rock, To End It All is an absolute pleasure to listen to. The riffs are deliciously carved and appear at all the right moments, perfectly complemented by sharp and timely drumming. The vocal harmonies are consistently immersive and as solid anything I've heard within the genre, while the guitar melodies shift between Pink Floyd's trademark epic oppressive beauty and the modern progressive solo mastery of Devin Townsend. Abandon All Hope showcases the band's songwriting talents from the off; an all-encompassing wall of foreboding melody and modern metal attack, capped off by soaring harmonic vocals and punishing drums. The Baying Of The Wolf sinks the hooks even deeper, with a fantastically catchy chorus that would happily go head-to-head with any song from Mercenary's superlative 11 Dreams.
As I was hoping, the trio of To End It All (parts one to three) are the standout tracks, melting into each other and working together as naturally as if twenty-three minutes was a perfectly normal length for a single song. Part 1 stands strong on its own, but is all the stronger as the opening track to an epic progressive metal trilogy. The melodies are incredibly infectious; an accomplishment not many bands can genuinely lay claim to. There's certainly no shortage of heavier moments either, in fact if the opening riff to Part 2 doesn't induce whiplash, you can go ahead and leave the hall with the rest of the wimps and posers. Part 3 meanders effortlessly around grandiose guitar work, punishing riffs, keyboard effects and a wash of epic vocal harmonies that Gilmour and Co. would surely be proud of.
Aside from the intro, not a single song clocks in fewer than six minutes, yet the album is wholly undemanding in the best possible way. The slower ebb of This Automated Nightmare contains yet another great chorus, whilst Mnemonic enters with Opeth-like subtlety before bursting into a furious riff and more Pink Floyd-esque harmonies.
The artwork and the generic logo font could do with a dash of creativity to help them stand out from the crowd, but the fact I've even mentioned that is testament to just how impressive this debut effort is, as there really is nothing else here to fault. Everything about this band already sounds refined: the growled and the clean vocals, the instrumentation, the melodies, the song structures; it's the career start that all bands dream of. The production is spot on, complementing both the heavier moments and the soundscapes in equal measures; when combined, the result is utterly exhilarating.
So many other bands have come up short attempting this amalgamation of genres, but Tempus Fusion emerge triumphant. All in all, To End It All is an astounding achievement; highly accessible without ever losing its metal edge, and containing progressive elements without ever leaning too far into obscurity; a work of dense, atmospheric melody, hugely impressive vocal harmonies, and double-bass-fuelled riffs loud enough to wake the dead. With a storming selection of individual songs that'll undoubtedly make eyes sparkle in the world of progressive music and a centrepiece trilogy almost certain to set just as many saliva glands on overdrive, Tempus Fusion are yet another reason to be continually proud of British heavy metal.