Tenside – ‘Glamour & Gloom’ [Album Review]

Given the state of the music scene in 2020, it’s hard to imagine any group making a sustainable career but, to their credit, Munich metal band Tenside has been shredding away for fifteen years and, with the release of Glamour & Gloom, has released their seventh album.

Wasting no time, the Germans hit the ground at pace with the title track. A blistering display of While She Sleeps riffery and Bury Tomorrow’s melodies, it’s an absolutely huge statement from the band and sets the tone for the rest of the album. Also, bearing in mind that the group spent a nice chunk of last year on tour with metalcore titans Killswitch Engage, it comes as no surprise that Glamour & Gloom is a polished affair.

Of course, you could level a criticism at the German’s that Glamour & Gloom doesn’t offer up any surprises but, we can forgive them that when the quality on show is top-notch. Tracks like “As Above So Below” and “Only the Brave” are absolute beasts. Drawing stylistically from bands like Parkway Drive and Bury Tomorrow, the refrained sections build up to the kind of mosh parts that will have metalcore fans losing their minds. Who can blame them as well because, quite frankly, at times, the display from Tenside on Glamour & Gloom is nothing short of flawless.

As the album thunders on, “Written In Blood” and “Overcome” keep things rattling along nicely. Plenty of breakdowns, plenty of moshy parts and plenty of throaty calls from vocalist Daniel Kuhlemann, Glamour & Gloom is a quality forty-five-minute demonstration. Inspired by a loss to mental health in the frontman’s life, the emotion and heart thrown into tracks like “Overcome” and the title track is staggering. Thankfully, given the personal nature of the material and despite having a pristine production, you can still hear every ounce of emotion thrown into this record.

To date, while Tenside may have flown under the radar of the average metal fan, hopefully, the tour with Killswitch last year will help raise their profile because Glamour & Gloom is the kind of album you won’t want to miss.

Glamour & Gloom Track Listing:

1. Glamour & Gloom
2. As Above So Below
3. Along With The Gods
4. Cannibals
5. The Devil Within
6. The Last Anthem
7. Only The Brave
8. Voyage of the Damned
9. Written In Blood
10. Overcome
11. All Black Everything

Run Time: 45:54
Release Date: March 20, 2020
Record Label: Ivorytower Records