Guardians of the Void
The Three Tremors
•
December 6, 2021
THE THREE TREMORS is a Heavy Metal act with three legendary screamers no vocals. The rest of the band is made up of additional musicians who are as skilled as the vocalists. What does that make this band? A supergroup. Do they live up to that reputation? Of course, they do. "Guardians of the Void" was released on November 5, 2021 via Steel Cartel Records.
Musically, this is a Heavy Metal album with a number of influences. You can hear traditional, NWOBHM, thrash, melodic and power metal in here at times. The vocals are mostly in the higher registers of the singers. There are some lower end, distorted lines, but these guys are famous for their falsettos, so they really put that on display here.
The record starts with "Bone Breaker," a rapid-fire song with a tasty riff and some wildly layered vocals. The lows, hitting under the highs, gives a cool contrast, showing off the highs and lows simultaneously. Having three soaring vocalists going solo, harmonizing, and contrasting with each other throughout the song is something to behold. You don't get the dramatic differences like you hear in AMARANTHE with a female, a clean male, and harsh male vocals. This is three different male voices that complement each other while also remaining fairly distinct.
The title track is second. "Guardians of the Void" is another shriek-fest. The blazing guitars and warp speed rhythms are the signature on this blazing tune. The drums just rip from start to finish. Blast beats create a rock-solid base for the rest of this song to sit on. The guitar solos compete with the vocals for highlight of the song. The bass player sounds like he is using two picks and four fingers to get all those notes out of his instrument. And that's just on the plucking hand!
"Kryptonian Steel" starts off with an almost sludge metal intro. As much as this record is about the three amazing vocalists, the music is just as good. This is the first song that really highlights them. They were noticed on the earlier tracks, but this is the song that SHOWS them. Don't worry. If you listen to this record on loop for a few days straight, you will hear how absolutely astounding they are through all of the songs. It just takes a bit to get past all the killer vocals. This is a compliment for both the vocals and the instrumentalists.
Moving down the disc, another killer tune that hits me is "Frailty." The intro is a bit more melodic. I really like the riff with that patterned overlay. The rhythm is solid as can be. Not too fast, not too slow. Some of the vocals give me a real KING DIAMOND feel with the low end over the falsetto. I don't know if that was intended as an homage or just a happy accident, but either way, it made me very happy.
Dropping down to "Catastrophe," we get that down-tuned guitar riff that just oozes out of the amp and drips with menace. This is an early favorite for me. I really like the tone they use on this track. This is a classic NWOBHM styled song. From the riff to the rhythm to the dual guitar assault. The soaring vocals, tied to the riff are similar to late 80s JUDAS PRIEST while being very new at the same time.
I went into this thinking it was going to be an album that was written for three vocalists that wanted to showcase their pipes. I walked away realizing they knew better than to just try to overshadow everything else with their incredible voices. They know it takes incredible musicians to support what they are capable of. Congratulations on finding a great balance of voice to instrument. This is a well-rounded album full of great songs that just absolutely freaking rock!
9 / 10
Almost Perfect
Songwriting
Musicianship
Memorability
Production
"Guardians of the Void" Track-listing:
1. Bone Breaker
2. Guardians of The Void
3. Kryptonian Steel
4. Crucifier
5. I Can't Be Stopped
6. Frailty
7. Operation: Neptune Spear
8. Chained to The Oar
9. Catastrophe
10. Wickedness and Sin
11. Fall of Rome
12. War of Nations
The Three Tremors Lineup:
Sean "The Hell Destroyer" Peck - Vocals
Harry "The Tyrant" Conklin - Vocals
Tim "Ripper" Owens - Vocals
Rafael "Gamma Ray" Nogueira - Bass
Sean "Thrash Machine" Elg - Drums
Casey "The Sentinel" Trask - Guitar
Dave "Conan" Garcia - Guitar
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