GLACIER EATER hailing from Oakland, California are a Thrash Metal band. “Tempest” is their second full-length album. The album was recorded, mixed, and mastered by Zack Ohren (EXMORTUS; IMMOLATION; MACHINE HEAD) at Castle Ultimate Productions in Oakland. It has a length of almost 31 minutes, and it was released via Oakland’s label Glacier Recordings.

The album starts with an extended instrumental part consisting of tight guitar riffing and crunching basslines in a mixture of mid-tempo and fast parts. The main melody of the track has a slight melancholic touch, while the vocals are aggressive harsh vocals around the medium end of the vocal range including a few screams. The opening track finishes with a short lead guitar solo, which picks up the main melody again. “Exodus” was uploaded to YouTube by the label, and the link is provided below. “Disharmony” starts fast and it keeps going with the strong basslines. The riffing has a bit more complexity compared to the opener. The vocals include a few higher notes and screams with occasional background vocal support. “Disharmony” seamlessly transitions into the powerful “Landing”, which starts with thunderous riffing at an almost stomping and head-banging rhythm. The lead guitars provide some cool melodies during the bridges and in the background during the verse parts. While the guitars are the highlight of the track, the vocals sound very monotone with too little tonal shifts.

“Massacre” has a fast start with the guitars, bass, and drums transitioning into a mid-tempo track when the vocals join in. There are a few twists in tempo and rhythm throughout the track: there are parts at measured tempo, at mid-tempo, and some fast parts in between. The melodic framework is dark and there are again some melancholic elements driving the melodies. “Grief” is a short acoustic track with the guitars and the clean vocals and serves as an inter-lude. It transitions into the title song “Tempest”, which is a mid-tempo track with crushing riffs introducing the verse part. The melodies are dark and melancholic and they are driven by the lead guitars. The vocals are once again monotone without any changes, but here it fits to the overall mood of the track. Highlight is the contributing lead guitar solo.

“Adrift” is a quiet instrumental track mainly driven by the guitars and the melodies serve as a pre-lude for the final album track “Homeward”. It is a track with powerful guitar riffs at a measured tempo with a head-banging rhythm. It is probably the doomiest song on the album as the melodies are grim and melancholic. The break introducing the lead guitar solo comes with a shift towards a fast pace and more aggression in the riffing, while the lead guitar solo is the highlight of the song. “Homeward” is the longest album track and a good way to end the album.

The sophomore album of GLACIER EATER leaves me with mixed feelings. “Tempest” is a melodic Thrash Metal album with some doomy twists. It is driven by the guitars and a crushing bass. While the guitars belong to the strength of the album, the vocals are the weakness as they lack any kind of variation. This is occasionally covered by the background vocal support, but in general, the vocal monotonicity is a downside of the tracks. The album is well produced. “Tempest” will have its share of fans, and tie will tell what the future brings for GLACIER EATER.