When five guys with band histories in such acts as Dark Angel, Death, Fear Factory, Forbidden, Exodus, Strapping Young Lad, Testament and Zimmers Hole get together, what can one expect? Well done metal with no soul? Maybe, but not this time around, because Tenet actually is the sum of its parts. Probably even more, to tell you the truth.

Tenet was originated in the mid-90s. Then Zimmers Hole guitarist Jed Simon began doing some of his own stuff, but was too busy with ZH and Strapping Young Lad. Years rolled on, but Tenet never was dead. By the late 2000s Mr. Simon had recouped Steve "Zetro" Souza, guitarist Glen Alvelais, bass player Byron Stroud and drummer Gene Hoglan by his side. At last, Tenet's debut album was recorded.

Over 10 years and about 35 minutes of music? Yes. Usually in cases like this it is 10 years of crap or 10 years of greatness, and 'Sovereign' definitely does not include any kind of expendable material. I certainly feared for some kind of modern sounding pile of waste, but in fact Tenet manage to mix old times and present metal together in a way that truly works well. Old thrash metal mixed with modern post-thrash (or heavy music, such as SYL for example), without unwanted metalcore hollowness, is masterly done by these veterans. Mainly Tenet are about riffs and fast speed. The riffs are catchy and totally metal, and guitar solos are similarly fantastic. At the same time sounding familiar and unique, this is more than welcomed stuff in today's metal music supply.

The speed is mostly fast, as mentioned, or blasting. I wonder how many pairs of drumsticks Mr. Hoglan destroyed during recording a song... 'Being and Nothingness' starts with a blast beat and insanely fast death metal riffage, with Mr. Souza screaming like no tomorrow. Soon the song enters into a typical thrash beat. Acrobatic guitar soloing (the lead guitar is played by Glen Alvelais) isn't just a demonstration of nimbly fingered six-stringers. 'Indulge Me' is even more speedy at times, but it also presents slower groove part with nice tempo timing tricks. This time the guitar solos are more melodious, but just as agile. 'Crown of Thorns' features lovely gang vocals at the beginning, before Zetro's insane screaming, and the song is practically one impetuous arrangement, with few breathing bits. 'Unnameable' begins surprisingly slow. Well, in this case being slow means mid-tempo or even faster. It gets faster soon, but its chorus is a punishing deed of mid-tempo beating. The melodic lead guitar part shows a new side to the band. As you might expect, 'Take a Long Line' begins with mad beating. Great gang vocals are really catchy, calling one to join in. 'Going down' is a groovy trip of the same kind with Antrax's 'Persistence of Time' era (1990). Truly shredding and contagious, plus a good breather for a listener. 'Hail! Hail!' with its anthemic singsong is one of the apparent cornerstones of the album. 'Watching You Burn' contains some Nevermore style melodiousness in its guitar work, therefore being the easiest song on the album. Speaking about the easiness, I have to point out how catchy the music actually is, right during the first listening session. The title track wraps up the album with powerful shred.

Zetro's vocal performance is insane, in the deepest meaning of the word. It also holds a lot of anger, which suits perfectly with angry lyrics about different bad relationships. The man's screaming a lot, croaking like heck and generally speaking being bloody ill-bred. His voice, as you should know, is totally unique in the world of metal music (closest comparison being Overkill vocalist Bobby "Blitz" Ellsworth), and is just it here too. He sounds like he really put his soul into it. Easily one of Zetro's most raging album performances together with his Exodus swan song 'Tempo of the Damned' (2003).

In terms of production, this is nastily clear. It could pack a tad more of punch, but it surely ain't weak, no! The bass guitar, played by Byron Stroud, is a bit indistinct in the mix, or vague more like. Perhaps due to the speed, because on e.g. the title track it can be heard properly. At least the production is not too mechanical like on many modern albums. The artwork by Travis Smith is pretty usual for him, but at least the cover is okay. I have to say I'm bored to see his similar work every now and then. However, that is the least important aspect of this album anyways.

I cannot point out any real cons about the album. It's a fine mix between talents and intensity, in a quite unique way. It is controlled anger. And usually it is the most effective type of anger. A crushing debut! Hopefully we'll get continuation earlier than in 2022...

Rating: 8+ (out of 10) ratings explained

Reviewed by Lane
09/10/2010 21:31