Templeton Pek

Scratches & Scars

Written by: PP on 01/02/2011 11:55:44

While we're all waiting for the new Rise Against album "Endgame" to land in a couple of months' time, I'll tell you a little bit about a new record by a British band called Templeton Pek who have gathered praise from, among others, Bruce Dickinson of Iron Maiden fame. Their sophomore album "Scratches & Scars" is somewhat of a strange recommendation from Mr. Dickinson considering its sound follows in identical footsteps of bands like Authority Zero, and indeed, Rise Against, which makes it an essential listen if you're itching for the March release date. That is, it consists of melodic punk with a hardcore twist, jam-packed with soaring vocal melodies that'll stop you in your tracks.

The record opens strongly with "Calculating This Risk" which combines a little Propagandhi-style technical guitars in the beginning, but the rest of the song is textbook Rise Against from their past couple of albums: sweeping melodic riffs, an unforgettable soaring chorus sung from the top of the lungs, and high tempo keeping things in check throughout. "Headgames" follows suit, presenting yet another infectious melody, and by the third track and lead single "Barriers" I'm beginning to think that Templeton Pek might be one of the most promising Rise Against clones I've heard in a long time. They sound almost identical to their idols (though the singer shares more in common with Chris Hannah from Propagandhi), but that isn't a problem because of the consistently high standard of song-writing and a convincingly melodic overlay to their sound that conveys both passion and hardcore roots equally well.

"Low" showcases Templeton Pek's ability to slow things down to an almost balladic levels, although the song is still very clearly a soaring melodic hardcore song in its core. As a contrast, "Break The Habit" dives headfirst into hardcore punk while keeping thins very melodic nonetheless. I could go on to describe the record further, but really, there's no point because it largely varies between the styles mentioned so far, while sounding like a nice cross between Rise Against, Authority Zero, Antillectual and a bunch of similar bands. There are a couple of weaker tracks in the mix as well preventing the band from rising to the same ratings as said bands, but overall the quality is up there with much bigger bands, and considering their touring history that already accounts bands and events like Pennywise, Funeral For A Friend, Taste Of Chaos, Give It A Name and more, I have a feeling Templeton Pek will be making a much bigger name for themselves this year.

Download: Calculate The Risk, Headgames
For the fans of: Rise Against, Propagandhi, Antillectual, Authority Zero
Listen: Myspace

Release date 14.02.2011
Smalltown Records


Related Items | How we score?
Comments
comments powered by Disqus

Legal

© Copyright MMXXIV Rockfreaks.net.