Temperance – Daruma’s Eyes Pt. 2
Temperance – Daruma’s Eyes Pt. 2
Napalm Records
Release Date: 20/10/23
Running Time: 63:07
Review by Oli Gonzalez
8/10
If you were to fire up any web search engine and enter the word temperance, you’d probably be directed to articles on the subject of self-control and abstinence. However, today I’m referring to the Italian symphonic metal act, who are on the eve of releasing their latest full-length effort ‘Daruma’s Eyes Pt. 2’ . Being released via Napalm Records, you can be confident that this will be a quality record. Whilst I had never actually listened to the band, an Italian friend of mine had mentioned the name Temperance to me previously. I’m glad I got my eyes (and ears) on this album, because even though 90% of the time I’m listening to blood and guts death metal and bowel-shaking doom (if bowel-shaking is even a real thing?), I do have a soft spot for the world of power and symphonic metal. Soaring vocal lines, trailblazing lead melodies, and aesthetically pleasing synths, what’s not to love about this sub genre? What can Temperance offer and how do they offer anything different?
Looking through their back catalogue and recent history, it seems as though ‘Daruma’s Eyes Pt. 2’ has come at a crucial time for the band. The pandemic was an interesting period for all of us, especially Temperance. They had just released ‘Viridian’ in early 2020, prior to the global pandemic. This resulted in only doing a handful of shows to promote it before being locked down. Rather than lying down and accepting defeat, they decided to use the down time to maximum effect and grind out another record ‘Diamanti’ the following year.
2023 has been a transformational period for the band. Coming off the back of a successful tour with Tarja (former Nightwish lead vocalist), Temperance undergone some rather major changes in personnel. Alessia (vocals) and drummer (Alfonso) left the band whilst New York based vocalist Kristin joined with Marco S taking over the sticks. Driven by curiosity, this made me go back into their back catalogue. Whilst there’s an unquestionable symphonic metal spine in both Viridian and Diamanti, the former has more of an electronic edge, whilst the latter is more traditionally symphonic metal (cheesy at times but this is the kind of stuff that gets people singing their hearts out in arenas!). Will any of these elements be present in ‘Daruma’s Eyes Pt. 2’ ? Perhaps more crucially, how much will the band’s sound change due to new vocalist Kristin?
For me, it’s tricky to describe each song in detail. Largely due to the length, at just over 1 hour and 14 songs in total. This is LONG by modern standards. Especially in the Spotify generation in which music is often delivered in small bite size chunks. This can make it difficult to consume and is a bit of a commitment for the listener. Perhaps the band still had a lot of the creative juices flowing from lockdown and had ideas they needed to utilise? Or maybe the new band members had ideas they were desperate to throw into the mix, as often happens when new members join the melting pot of being in a band environment.
More importantly though this is a concept album, a tale of protagonist Viktor as he navigates through the world of Hermitage. That’s the plot very oversimplified but check it out for yourself and follow the tale. This means that each song plays a role in telling this story, expertly told in cinematic exerts like in “Join Me”, or through slower ballads such as “A Hero Reborn”, “Brand New Start”, or “Welcome To Hermitage”. I truly admire this creativity, and shows the band’s commitment to song writing, rather than just slapping a few songs together that sound cool. The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.
With that being said, we still see more traditional symphonic metal elements. Especially with the explosion of energy from both “Daruma” and “Glorious” earlier in the album. Both are dripping with everything I love about this genre; soaring vocals, scorching melodies, and some crushing rhythms! Also, the solo in “Trust No One But You”…wow, just…wow! I had to rewind that multiple times. Face melting stuff!
The introduction of Kristin. Well, it would stupid and inappropriate to try and start a debate over whether she or Alessia is the better vocalist. All I can really and should focus on is Kristin’s performance. Which I think is rather impressive. That classically trained operatic background certainly shines as her voice soars elegantly throughout the album. Often, a band’s identity can change dramatically with a new vocalist, for better or worse. For me, Kristin has slotted in perfectly here. I haven’t mentioned other the band’s other vocalist Michele yet in what is a band with two dedicated vocalists. Shame on me. Shame because he’s just as crucial to Temperance’s sound as Alessia was and Kristin is! The two dedicated vocalists bounce of each other perfectly and are an excellent complement to one another, with some excellent harmonies. I think ‘Into The Void’ is perhaps the best example of their chemistry on this record, swapping line after line effortlessly and harmonising in parts. This would be very fun to see live I think!
Overall, ‘Daruma’s Eyes Pt. 2’ represents an exciting new chapter for Temperance. They truly have delivered with this blistering effort, and is a very enjoyable listen. I would gladly recommend it to fans of Within Temptation, Nightwish, Epica, or anybody with a soft spot for symphonic metal and who are craving something new to get their teeth into.
TRACKLISTING:
01. Daruma
02. Glorious
03. A Hero Reborn
04. Welcome to Hermitage
05. No Return
06. In Search of Gold
07. Join Me
08. Trust no one but You
09. Darkness is just a Drawing
10. Into the Void
11. Brand new Start
12. Where we Belong
13. Full of Memories
14. Cliff
LINE-UP:
Kristin Starkey – Vocals
Michele Guaitoli – Vocals
Marco Pastorino – Guitars & Vocals
Luca Negro – Bass Guitar
Marco Sacchetto – Drums
LINKS:
Disclaimer: This review is solely the property of Oli Gonzalez and Ever Metal. It is strictly forbidden to copy any part of this review, unless you have the strict permission of both parties. Failure to adhere to this will be treated as plagiarism and will be reported to the relevant authorities.
