TEMTRIS hailing from Sydney, Australia were formed in 2000. The Heavy Metal outfit released seven full-length albums so far. Their album number eight “Queen Of Crows” was mixed and mastered by Andrew Malin. It has a length of about 47 minutes, and it was released via Italian Death, Thrash, and Gothic Metal specialists WormHoleDeath. The album starts heavy with the track “Evil Lies”. The guitar riffing is powerful and supported by double-bass drumming, leading into a mid-tempo verse part. The melodies are orientally inspired. The vocals have a lot of Rock vibes and vary across most of the vocal range with many tonal shifts. The tempo slows down for the bridge and the choruses, and during both, the vocals alternate between lower and higher pitched notes. The break offers a very contributing lead guitar solo. “Evil Lies” is a very strong opening track, and with almost seven minutes playing time the longest album song. “Scars Of Betrayal” continues with the mid-tempo sound. The melodies are dark and melancholic. The guitar riffing is simple and direct, and it is supported by a lot of double-bass drumming. The lead guitars are playful during the whole song and the lead guitar solo during the break is contributing. The choruses deliver almost anthemic chorus lines.

However, in terms of heaviness, “Scars Of Betrayal” cannot quite keep up with the opening track. “The Risk” starts with a pre-lude driven by the lead guitars, transitioning into a dynamic and heavy verse part with tight guitar riffing supported by the double-bass. The track has plenty of traditional Heavy Metal vibes. The melodies are grim throughout the track. The break starts with a short down-tempo part, but the extended lead guitar solo is performed in up-tempo. “The Risk” is one of the album highlights.“Narcosis” starts with an extended, guitar-driven part at mid-tempo, leading into the verse part. The guitar riffing is playful, while the vocals follow the melodies. The bridge delivers thunderous guitar riffs accompanied by the double-bass drumming, transitioning into the chorus part, which is a delivery of catchy melodies. While “Narcosis” focused on melodies, “Murder Of Crows” puts emphasis on heaviness with another extended instrumental part, leading into the verse part with powerful guitar riffs, where the melodies have once again a few oriental vibes. The vocals fit perfectly into that crushing delivery of guitar riffs and lead guitar contributions, much better than to the melodic “Narcosis”. The break offers another excellent lead guitar solo. “Murder Of Crows” is another album highlight.

“Dying To Believe” has a thunderous start with the guitar riffs at a measured tempo, leading into a slow verse part. The track develops into the album ballad during the verse parts; however, this is constantly interrupted by powerful, heavy guitar riffs and strong basslines. The alternation between ballad-esque parts and heavy parts does not quite work out as the vocals are well suited for a heavy and powerful sound, but they lack the angelic vibes of a strong ballad. “Carnival Of Tears” is a diverse track, combining quiet parts with heavy and thunderous parts. The connecting element is the dark and melancholic melodic framework. It is a track at a measured tempo with tight and playful guitar riffing. The vocals deliver distinct tonal shifts including a few highly pitched notes. The chorus parts offer catchy but melancholic melodies with almost sing-along chorus lines. The track is with more than six minutes playing time among the longest album tracks; however, I feel a bit of trimming would have been beneficial. “No One Is Listening” has a strong and powerful start with heavy guitar riffs and crushing basslines. The tempo and rhythm often switch during the track between measured and mid-tempo, and there is even a fast part for the break. The melodies are grim, and once again include some melancholic features. The chorus parts change the direction of the track from a heavy and powerful towards a ballad-esque delivery. Highlight of the track is the very contributing lead guitar solo.

The album finishes with “The World Is Bleeding Out” and it starts with a quiet pre-lude performed by the guitars and the vocals, transitioning into a mid-tempo verse part with powerful guitar riffs supported by plenty of double-bass drumming. The vocals are versatile and drive the track forward. The guitars are very playful and switch between crushing riffs and a delivery of dark melodies. It is one of the heaviest album tracks. “The World Is Bleeding Out” has been released as video, and the YouTube link is provided below. TEMTRIS deliver a good Heavy Metal album. “Queen Of Crows” offers powerful guitar riffs, great lead guitar solos, a good mixture between heaviness and melodic parts as well as between traditional and modern Heavy Metal elements. The vocals are very versatile in terms of the vocal range and keep most of the tracks well together, where the vocal strengths are the heavy deliveries, rather than the quiet song elements. The album is well produced. Heavy Metal fans will be delighted with the songs on “Queen Of Crows”.