Templeton Pek

Watching The World Come Undone

Written by: PP on 11/10/2018 21:58:42

Birmingham-based Templeton Pek has been an integral part of the UK punk scene for a good ten years now, steadily releasing records every other year or so without much fanfare. "Watching The World Come Undone" is their fifth album so far, where the band continues to churn out political punk inspired by Rise Against and Propagandhi in equal measure, just without the complexity of the latter and without the anthemic melodies of the former.

That need not be a bad thing since it just means the band is catering to a different audience. The Chris Hannah style vocals give a more intellectual vibe to the big-sound melodies, at least in theory, allowing songs like "The Awakening" and "Axis" a good combination of a far-reaching, melodic soundscape and a sense of depth that punk rock is often accused of lacking. Both are solid songs with choruses you can chant along to, but they are not instant bangers like those produced by much bigger bands than them.

In fact, that's been Templeton Pek's problem throughout their existence as a band: they write solid enough tracks, the production is good, and the songs are melodic...yet they feel so anonymous in the grand scheme of things. It's easy to find comparisons: Authority Zero, Antillectual (who suffer from the same problem, by the way), The Shell Corporation, Ignite, etc. All bands that rely on a similar explosive, top-of-the-lungs delivery over big, anthemic melodies. The big difference? Some write slightly better songs than others. On this record, the decent tracks drown in a gray mass since all songs by Templeton Pek essentially sound the same: just like Atlas Losing Grip, the vocal variety is basically nonexistent, with the same high-end, intensive shout from start to finish with few nuances of character or variation that would allow the songs to stand out. The result is an album that features a number of strong individual tracks, but one that as a package just feels bland.

6

Download: The Awakening, Nowhere To Hide
For the fans of: Antillectual, Propagandhi, Authority Zero, Rise Against, The Shell Corporation, Atlas Losing Grip
Listen: Facebook

Release date 23.02.2018
Drakkar Records

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