‘Tempers’ is the stunning new EP from Yorkshire four piece, Of Allies. Despite the band being relatively new on the scene, they’ve crafted and honed a sound that slides nicely into the void that Fightstar have left behind and is capable of standing up there with some of Britain’s premier rock acts right now. Their sound encompasses rich but crystal clear vocals, combined with big guitar riffs and anthemic choruses to add a little oomph. Not bad, right?
Opening track, ‘Ghosts’, clearly draws on those aforementioned influences to deliver a track that really packs a punch. Upon first listen it’s evident that one of the band’s strongest points is their ability to create tracks with depth and contrast. Ghosts offers up just that with serene but fleeting verses, which dives into a chorus fit for packed venues.
‘Our Decay’ offers up much of the same but with a bigger sense of urgency, owing to its driving drum beat on its verses and sterling guitar work throughout. So far so good; it comes as a huge surprise that such a new band can produce music as slick and ‘together’ as Of Allies are able to do on this EP, which is something worth commending.
‘In Screens’ is yet another energetic track that contains a killer intro, leading into something a little different to the first two. Not worlds apart from ‘Our Decay’ or ‘Ghosts’, ‘In Screens’ seems a tad more accessible, and slightly more edgy.
Slowing things down, ‘In Stasis’ is an extension of the serene glimpses offered up on ‘Ghosts’. Of Allies still manage to maintain that pattern of alternating between dark, quiet verses and soaring choruses – a calm before the storm kind of idea, but ‘In Stasis’ is different. The track reaches a climactic conclusion with a powerful instrumental middle section, followed by one final chorus for the grand finale. ‘In Stasis’ is the strongest track on Tempers, not by much, but by about a hair’s width, which should give an indication of the calibre of music showcased on this EP. There is nothing particularly poor, everything is consistently of a high quality.
Of Allies’ debut offering is, in short, nothing less than stunning. Laden with stylish riffs, big melodic choruses, and deep, dark lyrics; Tempers is testament to how much a band can achieve in a year. We suggest you give it a listen for yourself, you won’t regret it.
