Tempest

Item: Eye of the Storm
Author: Daniel Baillod

Eye of the Storm

(1989)

Reviewed by Daniel Baillod

Discogs Apple Music TIDAL Amazon Music Spotify YouTube Music

Label Pure Metal RecordsAdonai Metal Rock #3July 1989

glam metal heavy metal melodic metal pop metal

Translated from the original French

The thunder rumbles, the lightning tears the sky... This is where the eye of the storm is to be found. And TEMPEST does not wait to demonstrate it to us with "Rock For The Light", the most speed track on the album. Visibly, TEMPEST has come on since "A Coming Storm", above all where the sound is concerned. Rock for the Light: that is what the representatives of the Tempest are offering us. Overall, TEMPEST has taken a musical direction less heavy than "A Coming Storm". Here, there is no more "God's Will Be Done", and that is a great pity... The tempo of the tracks is very mid-paced.

What is new on this second TEMPEST album is the presence of two short instrumentals ("Storms", which opens the album, and "Midnight"), very cool, and melodic: Mikk ROWE, the guitarist, does simple but clean work.

The slow "Good-Bye" is among the best tracks on "Eye Of The Storm". "Good-Bye" takes on the theme of suicide. The vocals are properly raspy, and give a properly heavy touch. Good job from the bassist on "Let Them In". "True love" offers acoustic guitar galore, and a chorus to whistle in the shower. The same for "All For One", with a little something extra on the rhythmic level. As for "Eye Of The Storm", it is one of the biggest smashes on the album. But for my taste, too many similarities with "Through The Sky" by their mates in SAINT... "Eye Of The Storm" remains a very good track all the same.

TEMPEST's vocal intros do them no favours... "Lost Without Your Love" and "U.S.A." could have been spared these (not very harmonious) introductory vocal harmonies (above all "U.S.A.")... Hey, guys, do what GUARDIAN or MASS do... Get yourselves helped by a guy from STRYPER: I am sure the result will necessarily be better...!!

"U.S.A." closes the album on a good rock'n roll, recalling that the United States was founded on the motto "In God We Trust", on freedom of expression, and on the right to prayer... On the lyrics side, TEMPEST still writes simple lyrics, very direct, easy to understand, and very close to the Bible: an excellent point.

In short, "Eye Of The Storm" is better than "A Coming Storm", but TEMPEST still lacks maturity. If one goes by these first two LPs from the band TEMPEST, TEMPEST will never be a band of international stature... unless a storm comes down on their region...!