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Scarlet Records
Words: Craig Hartranft
Added: 11.04.2018
Since their inception in 2013, Italy's Temperance has been releasing a new album every year since 2014's self-titled debut. Last year brought about a live CD/DVD package, Maschere: A Night at the Theater, recorded at the Teatro Sociale in Alba, and featured a choir and string quartet. But there's also been some commotion brewing the Temperance camp. This year's fourth studio album, Of Jupiter And Moons arrives with three new members: vocalists Alessia Scolletti and Michele Guaitoli, both from Italy's Overtures, and drummer Alfonso Mocerino.
Temperance has always been a band in transition. With their debut album they were more a melodic power metal band. With the following Limitless, Temperance morphed again by adding male dirty death vocals to their sound, which basically sucked ass. With The Earth Embraces Us All, it was back to melodic power metal, yet bumping up the symphonic angle, and pretty much dumping the male death vocals. Now we're getting some where, or hopefully so. With Of Jupiter And Moons, the band sticks with the Temperance 3.0 version, only doubling down on the symphonic angle for the album. And, for my money, this is likely their best album to date. Getting Alessia Scolletti and Michele Guaitoli was a coup d'etat for the band, a transforming element in a great vocal pairing.
Suffice to say this album and the songs within are largely epic and bombastic, melodic and symphonic, power metal. While there may be some moderation within a song with a light breakdown, most songs gallop along as they're embellished with massive twin riffage and large synth orchestration. Broken Promises is one such song, with a gentle breakdown after the midpoint. Alternatively, songs such as Everything That I Have and We Are Free, juxtapose moments of heaviness and lightness. If there's an exception to the power metal motif it comes with Empires And Men, an anthem with modest pacing and turning mostly on orchestration and voice.
All said, after years of tweaking their sound, I think Temperance has finally found their groove with Of Jupiter And Moons, creating epic symphonic power metal. Recommended.
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With Of Jupiter And Moons, Temperance has finally found their groove: creating epic and bombastic, melodic and symphonic, power metal. Recommended.
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