Artist: Tempest
Country: Mexico
Label: Self-Released
Formats: Digital EP
Year: 2023

Under the moniker Tempest, this trio, admittedly with modest experience in extreme metal, puts out a thoroughly enjoyable first EP. ‘Unending Torment’, a self-released 4-tracker with a total length of just over 17 minutes, shows well that the gentlemen have a broad background and do not necessarily allow themselves to be wedged into any particular genre.

Most of the musical violence on offer does fall under the nomenclature of Old School Death Metal, where bands like Possessed seem to define the musical framework, but there are enough similarities with Black Metal and some more modern-tinged Death Metal to make everything come across as reasonably refreshing. The high tempo and fast riffs form the basis for the sound of Tempest which is further completed with a heavy dose of wild Slayer/Angelcorpse-like guitar leads so that at times, whether intentionally or not, the overall sound is quite chaotic. It is clear that Tempest has no need for originality, but instead offers an infectious dose of energy. This same energy imparts a certain purity to the music and with it an overall sense of authenticity that actually makes up for (almost) everything. Bottomline for the band is that this slightly Thrashing and Black-edged old styled Death Metal might not change the world as we know it, but it most likely will bring a smile of contentment to the face of any fan of extreme metal.

The available band photo shows the three gentlemen wearing shirts from Morbosidad, Ulver and Bathory, now it requires a hell lot of imagination to hear Ulver or Bathory in this, but it does say something about the musicians’ wide-ranging musical tastes, and that, as a matter of fact, is something that definitely can be heard. Perhaps not the most uplifting piece of music you will hear this year, but ‘Unending Torment’ was clearly written and recorded with eminent conviction and dedication, and that, at least for me, is definitely worth something.