TEMIC are just one album in, but they already boast an impressive resume. Diego Tejeida has played with Devin Townsend and Haken, but the keyboardist was touring with Mike Portnoy’s Shattered Fortress when he first teamed up with guitarist Eric Gillette, who’s also jammed alongside Neal Morse.
Their vision for TEMIC wasn’t exactly simple: synthesize their love for high-energy electronica and flashy riffs into a killer prog-metal hybrid. But after recruiting former soccer prodigy-turned-Zildjian-endorsed drummer Simen Sandnes (Shining (NO), Arkentype) to go along with the high-powered falsetto of Fredrik Bergersen (Maraton), together, this new supergroup managed to connect all those puzzle pieces on their very first album.
“As the progressive metal scene witnesses a surge of new talent, this [album] places TEMIC in the discussion of the top new band releases of 2023”, writes The Prog Report.
‘Terror Management Theory’ comes out this Friday, November 17. But you can make your way through the whole thrilling prog maze today. Listen to the full album stream over on our YouTube channel.
Listen: https://youtu.be/DzMcZm2x8uI?si=e84fmPdRNWUk-JRp
Pre-order: https://redirect.season-of-mist.com/Temic
Pre-save: https://orcd.co/tmtpresave
Clocking in at a few ticks shy of six minutes, lead single “Count Your Losses” gives TEMIC plenty of time to show off their deep bag of tricks. Behind Bergersen’s melodic tenor, the band roll out an arena-ready guitar solo, scatting drum fills, fretless bass runs and synths that are built for a rave (and that only covers the bridge!).
“This album is as finely tuned and stately as the best passion projects”, says Distorted Sound.
“Falling Away” catches TEMIC at the peak of their superpowers, uplifted by riffs that alternate between beefy distortion and nimble fretting, while a white-hot keyboard solo blasts off just before the drums clamp down with booming finesse.
Bergersen’s piercing vocal carries a hopeful message, too. “We will fight until the rays of light stand high”, he sings, backed by not one but two choirs during the seven-minute closer “Mothallah”, which never stops climbing toward the sky.
“The time is upon us! Today, the release of our debut album marks the culmination of TEMIC’s gestation phase. As this opus finally reaches the listeners’ ears, TEMIC is now fully born. Welcome, ‘Terror Management Theory,’ an album born from dark times, yet serving as a strong beacon of hope, inspiring us to look to the future to the precise moment it would see the light of day.”
