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TEMPEST
Point Of No Return

Self-released (2022)
Rating: 7/10

Out of Aachen in Germany is this thrash metal four-piece with their sophomore outing, Point Of No Return. The band’s debut outing, When Hate Has Dominion, emerged four years ago so it’s been a while for Tempest, whose current line-up is Philipe Piris (vocals and guitar), Simon Humpohl (guitar), Daniel Gerth (bass) and Gabor Franyo (drums).

Point Of No Return is a solid album boasting ten punchy tracks which remind me of early Sacred Reich, more so in the vocal approach of Piris who has that wholesome sort of Phil Rind vibe.

‘Fire Will Judge’ is an excellent way to kick off proceedings. It’s fast yet catchy, the riffs are chunky yet sharp and the percussion and bass really sting. As with a lot of relatively new bands the influences are clear and there will always be a lean towards the generic, but it seems that Tempest are just happy to throw out their serious thrash that does exactly what it says on the tin.

The bolshy, muscular ‘Unbroken’ has a strong 90s feel to it. There’s plenty of melody and most importantly a lot of weight which fuses well with the bouts of speed. It’s arguably the most rewarding track on the opus due to its diversity, with some fine axe work and the thunder drums of Franyo.

Some other of my favourite tracks include ‘Through The Pain’, which boasts extra crunch in its guitar work, but begins with hints of Slayer before turning into an Anthrax-styled chug. And ‘The Divide’ is just a blaze of precision although the drum does sound a bit too clicky here, even so the track grooves along nicely approaching Testament levels of catchiness.

Elsewhere, ‘UltraNation’ builds with suspense, where again there’s a Slayer vibe and then a transformation into a metallic gallop in Teutonic fashion. Meanwhile, ‘Protector, Pretender’ is an all-out thrash-fest hinting at the likes of Destruction. It’s formulaic and deadly serious, adding grey matter to the already steely, savage layers, but it’s done well and with plenty of melody and head-nodding groove. And that’s what I like about these guys as they carve great structures of metal.

If you like San Francisco Bay Area thrash doused in a Sacred Reich sort of liquid and married with German aesthetics, then this battering ram of a record will no doubt float your boat.

Neil Arnold

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