Hurtling along at the speed of global rage, and merging the best of crossover metal and hardcore from ‘80s Japan, Sweden and UK, Tempter brings a new voice to a legendary sound. It should come as no surprise that the group is comprised of hardcore veterans whose collective pedigree includes bands such as Candy, Division of Mind, Nosebleed, Ekulu and more.
Standouts “Sacricide” and “Pestilence,” built on pulverizing riffs and apocalyptic solos, bookend the S/T EP while “Uniformed Madness” and “Night Terror” barrel toward impending doom with the speed of a buzzsaw. Mixed by Fucked Up’s Jonah Falco, the production distills crushing noise and acidic atmospheres and provides a fitting backdrop for vocalist Valentina Lopez’s showstopping and varied performance. “La Lluvia,” with its use of samples and layers of synths, dances around spoken word sections that read out a poem of the same name by Roberto Bolaño, one of Chile’s greatest writers:
“ahora puedes llorar y dejar que tu imagen se diluya En los parabrisas de los coches estacionados a lo largo Del paseo marítimo. Pero no puedes perderte.”
“Right now you can cry and let your image dissolve on the windshields of cars parked along the boardwalk. But you can’t lose yourself.”
Bolaño’s work fits perfectly with the biting satirical punk mood that Lopez exudes with every breath. He often questioned the privilege of making art while the junta would torture people in basements. Hardcore, punk and metal often presents itself as a political act more than music, whether in its DIY ethic or protest lyrics. However, perhaps we find it too easy to fall into its angry embrace and eat each other alive whilst the world outside continues to fall. This music makes hell on earth a little bit more bearable, but ultimately, Bolaño and Lopez call on counterculture music to have meaning and political action.
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