Customer Reviews

Balance

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

As much as I hate to admit it after anxiously awaiting the release of a new Tempest album, the review by bogobundus2 has hit the nail directly on the head -- Balance is not only "a little bit off," but it truly does sound "like a group of less-skilled musicians trying to imitate Tempest." I seriously doubt the end result has anything to do with allowing the new lineup time to gel, remember -- Turn of the Wheel, their first Magna Carta release, and a killer Tempest album -- was recorded shortly after Jay Nania joined and Michael Mullen rejoined. Balance is truly a case of a band who has lost it's focus and has been unable to recover from the long-term and consistent loss of truly fantastic musicians. Gone is Robbie Wulenjohn. While Rob may not have been the most technically gifted guitarist ever to grace Tempest's lineup, he certainly had a flair for creating dangerous yet memorable solos. Gone is Michael Mullen. Michael truly added a tremendous amount to the band. Compare Balance to Turn of the Wheel or the fantastic Gravel Walk and you'll know what I mean. Gone is Jay Nania. Bravo for bogubundus2 in referring to Jay as one of the most underrated bassists of all time. I don't think it's a coincidence that when Jay joined Tempest that the band dramatically changed for the best. He was truly a dynamic force and was one of the best bassists I or anyone who had been to a Tempest show during his tenure had ever seen. When he played, jaws dropped. Since the departure of these members, or what I call the "classic Tempest lineup," the band has never been able to recover. Sometimes it's just not possible to fill those shoes. Lief's lackluster performance and Robert Berry's surprising drop in production values are testament to this. Lief sounds as if he's going through the motions fully aware of the fact that he is no longer surrounded by a killing machine. There is very little about Balance that could excite a Tempest fan, particulary fans of the classic Tempest. Do yourself a favor and check out Gravel Walk or Turn of the Wheel. Those are really the albums that defined this formerly great band. Maybe someday they will truly achieve Balance, however, it hasn't happened with their latest release.

I'm a huge Tempest fan so I couldn't wait for this release. As of this writing I've only listened to it a couple of times so maybe it will grow on me but these are my initial impressions... When I first heard this, I thought to myself "everything seems to be a little bit off; this doesn't really sound like Tempest; it sounds like a group of less-skilled musicians trying to imitate Tempest". This is not surprising, since the bass player, guitarist, and violinist are all new. Either they are not as good as their predecessors, or they just haven't been playing together long enough to jel yet. The bass player plays in a simpler, less hard-driving, less interesting style than his predecessors John Land and especially Jay Nania, who had to be one of the most underrated bassists of all time. The violinist plays in a softer, less bombastic style than the departed Michael Mullin. Much of the time the violin sounds weak and washed out and can hardly be heard when all the other instruments are playing. Even Leif Sorbye's singing is not quite up to par. At times his voice sounds tired and slightly hoarse and, at least on a couple of songs, he seems to have reverted to a more amatuerish style reminiscent of the first couple of very early, now-out-of-print Tempest albums (the vocals on "Iron Lady" are particularly amatuerish). Finally, Robert Berry's production values have slipped. Instead of the crystal-clear quality where all instruments could be heard clearly as on the previous three albums, here we have a massive jumble where at times one or two instruments can be heard clearly and the rest are a background muddle and at other times all the instruments are one BIG muddle. Instead of the rich, full sound of the past there is a hollow quality of sound here. It sounds like this was recorded "live" in the studio with only one microphone recording all the instruments together simultaneously with no overdubs. Especially problematic are the bass and drums - their impact has been severely diminished because they are not as "out front" as they were before; they have been pushed more into the background and are weaker in the overall mix. Finally, the selection of songs is not all that good. Tempest is at its best when it takes traditional folk songs and reworks them in its hard-rocking style. The songs here are mostly originals, and for the most part, while originals haven't been a weakness in the past, the originals here are collectively some of the weakest originals Tempest has ever done. In short, we have a mediocre bunch of original songs and a group of musicians who apparently haven't played together very long combined with limp production and at times sub-par singing. Is it not surprising that this doesn't sound as good as previous works? Don't get me wrong; I'm not saying this is lousy; its more in the "mediocre" range. If I had never heard Tempest before, I might think it was pretty good, but compared to Tempest's usual high standards, it just doesn't quite measure up.

An energetic marriage of folk ballads and rock, the music of Tempest deftly weaves traditional melodies with modern riffs. This is the first album of theirs I have listened to, and basing my judgment on its own merits I think it's very well-crafted (although no recording could match the band's live performances). Whether a sentimental acoustic piece or a lively number infused with edgy riffs, each track has a captivating rhythm that makes for really pleasurable listening. And the medleys have seamless transitions that in themselves exhibit the professional level of Tempest's craft. Though I personally like the instrumental sections best, frontman Lief Sorbye's vocals offer an irresistible storytelling flavor to the songs. Like "The Journeyman," his earnest intonations invite the listener to follow wherever Tempest roams.

Although Tempest is on the Magna Carta label, the band (and this album)is *not* metal. Rather, it's folk rock (or, if you prefer, prog-folk), in the style of Fairport, Steeleye Span, and even late 70s Tull (c. "Songs from the Wood", "Heavy Horses", etc.) That said, the guitar work on this album does have a bit more of a metal sound to it than their previous efforts-- at least on 2-3 tracks. (The rest of the time, though, that's not the case). On the whole, this is very much like Tempest's previous material: a mixture of British-Isles folk-rock, including both traditional and original compositions, with the occasional foray into other folk traditions. That said, there's still something about this album that seems a little, well, uneven... Some tunes on it really smoke (especially "Dance of the Sand Witches"), while others are pretty dull, and there are a few moments where things just sound like, "Hmmm... I'm not sure why they did that." Perhaps this is because of recent personnel changes (they've got a new guitarist, fiddler, and bassist since their last album)-- and maybe the band hasn't quite found it's new groove yet. All in all, it's still a good album-- but it's just not as solidas some of their past efforts.

As much as I love Tempest's music (and have for years), I simply cannot give this CD a good review. It seems to me that Lief and company simply went into the studio and said, "okay, let's just play loud music" They've gone back to a garage band sound, which doesn't bode well with folk fans. The guitar is all reverb with very few clear notes. Lief's singing sounds flat and the mix is all over the board. Sorry guys, but these sessions should have been scrapped.
Addendum: After sitting on the shelf for quite a while, I decided to give this CD another spin and it is now growing on me. I'm still quite disappointed in the quality of the recording, but the music is enjoyable, if you give it a chance.
Cheers
2nd addendum: The CD was sitting on the sehlf, not me.

I'm a huge Tempest fan so I couldn't wait for this release. As of this writing I've only listened to it a couple of times so maybe it will grow on me but these are my initial impressions... When I first heard this, I thought to myself "everything seems to be a little bit off; this doesn't really sound like Tempest; it sounds like a group of less-skilled musicians trying to imitate Tempest". This is not surprising, since the bass player, guitarist, and violinist are all new. Either they are not as good as their predecessors, or they just haven't been playing together long enough to jel yet. The bass player plays in a simpler, less hard-driving, less interesting style than his predecessors John Land and especially Jay Nania, who had to be one of the most underrated bassists of all time. The violinist plays in a softer, less bombastic style than the departed Michael Mullin. Much of the time the violin sounds weak and washed out and can hardly be heard when all the other instruments are playing. Even Leif Sorbye's singing is not quite up to par. At times his voice sounds tired and slightly hoarse and, at least on a couple of songs, he seems to have reverted to a more amatuerish style reminiscent of the first couple of very early, now-out-of-print Tempest albums (the vocals on "Iron Lady" are particularly amatuerish). Finally, Robert Berry's production values have slipped. Instead of the crystal-clear quality where all instruments could be heard clearly as on the previous three albums, here we have a massive jumble where at times one or two instruments can be heard clearly and the rest are a background muddle and at other times all the instruments are one BIG muddle. Instead of the rich, full sound of the past there is a hollow quality of sound here. It sounds like this was recorded "live" in the studio with only one microphone recording all the instruments together simultaneously with no overdubs. Especially problematic are the bass and drums - their impact has been severely diminished because they are not as "out front" as they were before; they have been pushed more into the background and are weaker in the overall mix. Finally, the selection of songs is not all that good. Tempest is at its best when it takes traditional folk songs and reworks them in its hard-rocking style. The songs here are mostly originals, and for the most part, while originals haven't been a weakness in the past, the originals here are collectively some of the weakest originals Tempest has ever done. In short, we have a mediocre bunch of original songs and a group of musicians who apparently haven't played together very long combined with limp production and at times sub-par singing. Is it not surprising that this doesn't sound as good as previous works? Don't get me wrong; I'm not saying this is lousy; its more in the "mediocre" range. If I had never heard Tempest before, I might think it was pretty good, but compared to Tempest's usual high standards, it just doesn't quite measure up.

This album is different than previous albums by Tempest. Yes there are a couple of songs with a heavy metal sound BUT they are great songs. Listen to Dance of the Sand Witches and the Battlea Mountain Breakdown. Todd Ewveans has done a greqat job on guitar. The fiddler is not as good as Michael was and is no lo0nger with the band and haas been replaced by Susan who, while not a Michael Mullen yet has great promise in replacing him. (Just saw the band tonight as a matter of fact). This band can play rock with the best of them. The mixing on this album was poor and I remixed it a bit on my own computer and it drastically improved some of the songs.

Wonderful cd, I did not regret buying it, and can hardly wait until the next cd of this wonderful celtic rock (or folk rock, or whatever...) band as the new players become better and better at their teamwork.

I, as well, am a huge Tempet fan, and was quite pleased with this cd, depite the comments bellow, I am enjoying wacthing (and listening too) the development of this great celtic rock (or folk rock, or whatever) band.

As the new players become more acustomed to playing with each over, I am happy to say, the next cd will be even better than this one!