Tempus Fusion are a progressive metal act from the UK with lofty ambitions and even greater potential. This, their self-produced debut, is a stunning example of what can be done by an independent band with the discipline, passion and burning desire to succeed and from the moment the ambient introduction of ‘as we march to the fields of war’ gives way to the blazing opening fury of ‘abandon all hope’ you’re drawn into the band’s own imaginative universe and held captive there until the final strains of closing track ‘the predators are here’ release you from the reverie the band impose upon you.
Musically Tempus Fusion draw upon a wide range of influences in order to carve out their own niche in the music scene. Fear Factory appear to be a strong influence, particularly at the heavier end of the band’s spectrum, but Tempus Fusion’s intrinsic grasp of melody and wildly inventive flights of fancy suggest a band equally in thrall to king Crimson, Pink Floyd and Tool as they are to Fear Factory, Dream Theater and Opeth and no song relies on mere bludgeon with which to overawe the listener. ‘Abandon all hope’, then, is a brilliant opening track – one that roams widely through varying moods and atmospheres whilst maintaining a cohesion that highlights the level of thought and development that the band instil in their compositions. ‘The baying of the wolf’ has overtones of Mastadon via ‘Crack the skye’ with its stair-stepping guitar riffs giving way to huge swathes of swirling powerchords and pulverising percussion. It is the vocals that particularly impress with Max Pharnam and David Stanton laying down impressive and beautifully arranged vocal harmonies over the intricate backdrop the band craft, although, underpinning it all, James Smith marks himself out as a drummer of note with his superb performance.
As if to highlight the band’s sense of ambition, the centrepiece of the record is the monumental three-part ‘to end it all’, the sort of epic work that few bands are brave enough to try within their entire career, let alone on their debut. The band’s instincts pay off, however, and the result is a brutal, immaculately written, performed and produced work that simply shatters all boundaries and marks out Tempus Fusion as one of the most exciting metal bands to be playing today. Genuinely progressive, in that it explores the various boundaries of the band’s influences before pushing well beyond them, ‘to end it all’ is not so much a great metal epic as a work of art hewn by musicians whose sense of wonder has not been dinted by the self-imposed limitations of the turgid music industry. Their sense of excitement is palpable and if this astonishing triptych fails to send adrenalin surging throughout your body then you should probably check your pulse. Melodic, at times blisteringly heavy, and ultimately rather beautiful, Tempus Fusion could have released this alone and guaranteed their place on the UK metal scene, the only question being why they haven’t been snapped up by a major label already.
After such a wondrous piece of music, it stands as a grand testament to Tempus Fusion’s skills that the album does not tail off, rather the band take a step back for the beautiful ‘this automated nightmare’, a track which does much to cement the comparisons between Tempus Fusion and Pink Floyd, the guitars of Tim Goatham and Anthony Quinn particularly impressive here. ‘Mnemonic’ equally opens on a relaxed vibe, the gently rippling guitars washing over you like the waters of a sun-warmed lake before brutal riffs slice through the mood with all the fury and melodic grace of Devin Townsend’s latter-day work. The album ends with ‘the predators are here’, a searing collision of deathly riffs, ambient electronica and crushing percussion. It ends the album on a resolute high and you’re left in no doubt of the abilities of Tempus Fusion – a band who with little or no fanfare have marked themselves out as something truly special.
When hit with a record of this quality it is hard to praise it enough. The quality here is immediately apparent. Tempus fusion have a gift for crafting hook-laden songs that are both instantly memorable and yet possessed of enough depth to guarantee you’ll be discovering new elements within the songs for months to come after the initial listen. That it is an independent release makes it all the more impressive and sets a vital bar for bands wishing to produce their own recordings in the future. With blistering, crystal clear production, stunning songs and exemplary musicianship, ‘to end it all’ is a modern masterpiece of ambition and scope. Utterly brilliant from start to finish, Tempus Fusion have a grand future ahead of them and this starting piece is simply stunning – do not miss out on this epic piece of work if you value music as an art form.
