Band: Temujin Album: 1000 Tears Label: Independent Rating: 7/10 Website: http://www.temujinband.com BUY NOW!

I must admit that I have never been a fan of Gothic metal. It stands for almost everything in metal that I am against; heaps of effects, simple drum beats, even more simple riffs and lyrics far too significant for a heavy genre! However, in Australian two-piece gothic outfit Temujin, I find something different. Something more to my taste, and although it took me a long time to work this out, I have found some true classic rock in amongst the effects and monotonously repetitive drumming. This is why I like this album far more than most in it’s genre. I cringed when I heard the unmistakably electronic intro to the typically gothic named opener, ‘Find Me’, but as it unfolds into an ingeniously simple riff straight from the pits of hell, I start to forget the monstrosity that is an electric intro and focus in on an extremely heavy song. It is enjoyable, until you reach the next song, and the unfortunate sense of déjà vu that you feel whenever you listen to two Dragonforce songs in a row kicks in….another electro intro. So I just listen to the start of each song on the 13-track album, and sure enough, although the intros aren’t all electronic, all but one begins with a peacefully haunting synth attack or slow nu-rock style guitar riff…and then has to reach within itself to produce yet another simple metal riff with definite classic rock influences. Those however, do not entirely ruin what in essence, is an extremely solid piece of work. My favourite song, ‘All of You’, (which is also the only song to begin with the metal riff!), features some interesting rhythm guitar sequences, although just as it seems like we will be treated to an epic solo…it peters out into the main verse riff. The same thing occurs in most of the songs on the album…until we finally get a nice solo near the end of the song, ‘Throwing Stones’. The vocals are excellent and, although going against my better nature…I must admit that the deep lyrics reached me and left a lasting presence. The clean vocals were left pure for the most part and, funnily enough, exceedingly gothic! The production also was extremely good with the balance remaining perfect throughout. Overall…it reminds me of the way I describe Dragonforce (although the music is very different!), ‘Dragonforce only have one song…but it is a good one!’. That is the best way to sum up this album. I genuinely did enjoy it, I really did, but I also became bored of it fairly soon. Nevertheless, I can’t allow my prejudice against gothic metal to stop me from commending the band on the fact that they have, in essence, managed to make an enemy of Goth enjoy one of their albums. A solid, if somewhat repetitive, work. Lewis Klein Back to Reviews