I love supporting my local Pacific Northwest metal scene. My home base is the greater Seattle area, but my coverage extends north to Vancouver, BC, and south to Portland, OR, and I do my best to make it out to as many shows as I can to support local bands. The scene here is great, with many up and coming bands, and I have already reviewed two albums this year from the Seattle area, Vanishment’s “…And Now We Die” and Greyhawk’s “Warriors of Greyhawk.”

Well now it is three. After releasing a handful of demos and a well-received EP, Seattle-based metal band Telomyras have unleashed their searing debut full length, “Duskfall.” Telomyras plays a brand of metal firmly rooted in both thrash and the heavier side of traditional metal, while also flirting with power, doom, and death metal textures. Dueling guitars deliver powerful riffs and solos with crushing intensity and force, supported by a pulverizing bass and drums onslaught. This album punches you hard from the start and rarely lets up, engulfing you with its fiery energy. I saw the band live for the first time in February as the opener for the Greyhawk album release show, and this energy translates to their live show. It all starts with the incredible charisma of frontwoman Sammie Gorham, who is classically trained in opera. I admittedly was worried that this might mean an overdependence on ear piercing soprano, but Gorham stays more consistently in the alto range, with a rich tambor and fabulous intonation, stretching to the higher range when appropriate. She also delivers a nasty snarl, a downright sinister growl that is menacing and powerful. The clean vocals have an almost polyphonic effect at times with the riffing, which admittedly can feel a bit unsettling, making it seem as if the vocals and instruments don’t align. A closer examination reveals that it actually works quite well, Gorham’s voice acting like another instrument in a dueling fashion. It is atypical for metal, and I have read at least two reviews of the album already that took issue with the clean vocals. To each their own I guess. I won’t go as far as to describe it as prog, but this mechanic is used plenty in that genre even if not specifically for vocals. Telomyras loves their guitar solos, and though they are rarely over the top, they are super well done and work well within each song. The drumming is incredible, and I would love to hear the drummer let loose even more. I interpret the allegorical lyrical approach as touching on many relevant themes of today, including double standards, oppression of the few over the many, and being unfairly judged. The album definitely has a darker edge to it, but it is grounded in reality and feels quite relevant.

Opener “Reckoning” starts big before settling into a mid-paced thrash groove. You are immediately serenaded by Gorham’s haunting vocals, her classical trained voice meandering through a rich alto path. The end of the second chorus teases a brief growl before transitioning into a Middle Eastern influenced guitar solo. As the solo ends, the guitars turn sinister, as does Gorham, an evil sounding growl smacking you as the lyrics scream “Dissolve before my eyes, This spirit chokes and dies.” The rest of the song juxtaposes the extreme vocals against cleans, with an ending akin to how it began.

The syncopated intro of “Burden” barrels ahead into speedy metal, drums blazing as the dueling guitars deliver a crushing assault accentuated by nifty guitar licks and slapping bass. I love the melody of the chorus, not as hooky as you might expect, nonetheless with a cool melody that will stick in your brain. The song makes good use of transitions, using what amounts to a simple change up to add effect before blazing ahead again. The middle of the song moves into an instrumental bridge featuring 60 seconds of searing tradeoff guitar solos that are an absolute ear tickle. As the solo finishes, the song transitions into a rousing choral refrain that feels anthemic, with a heterophonic layered vocals effect that feels massive, enroute to a big finish.

“Witch” immediately feels darker, a great musical analogue to the grim sounding title. It takes on a doomy thrash vibe, with crushing riffs and thunderous drums, Gorham’s vocals ethereal and moody. The vocal layering adds to the spooky effect, along with the atypical melodic vocal progressions. Even the midway harmonized guitar solo carries the same vibe, while also hastening the pace by slightly modifying the guitar and drum rhythms. This song does a great job using the feel of the music to convey the subject matter. Just check out the haunting outro of “I am what you fear….”. This song is among my favorites on the album.

“Attrition” features a driving chunky thrash riff and an unsettling dichotomy of eerie cleans lurking in the shadows pitted against aggressive snarls. A little over two minutes in and the song slows a bit, switching to a melodic guitar-driven riff that maintains the thrash sensibility, Gorham soaring over the top, guitar leads weaved into the larger fabric. A slow build ensues, with cool layered vocals that incorporate some high soprano, and a late tempo acceleration that builds urgency, ending in a brief guitar solo. We return to the opening riff, with a final alternation of harsh and cleans.

“The Altar” has a traditional metal feel in its mid-paced riffing approach, with leads mixed throughout. The song has a fairly straightforward feel, though it does see Gorham stretching outside of the alto range a bit more. The late guitar solo is fabulous, adding some nice texture to the underlying riffing. The pace speeds up late before one final run through the chorus, ending with a reprise of the intro. I will admit this is probably my least favorite song on the album, as I feel it gets a bit stuck in safe mode without ever really letting loose, with exception of the guitar solo.

“Harbinger (…the Eternal Night),” on the other hand, is one of my favorites, with killer composition and texture. Searing dueling guitars open up before settling into a mid-paced riff assault. At this point in the album during my first listen-through, I had adjusted to the slightly unorthodox vocal approach, and I really love how it unfolds in this song. Gorham’s vocals are phenomenal, never doing what you expect and yet working so well. Not even halfway through, and a mini guitar solo goes wild before reprising the intro, Gorham soaring hauntingly above the horizon. The pace slows, and “I am the one who lies in wait” sends chills down your spine as the sinister vocals accompany a crushing doom pace, pounding drums and riffs complemented  by guitar lead. The pace hastens again, a thrashy groove leading the way to a gnarly growl as yet another guitar solo kicks into gear, ethereal vocals floating over the top to an incredible finish.

Title track “Duskfall” is the only time the band takes a true breather, treating you to an 80’s style power ballad. A somber clean guitar tone picked melody rings bare underneath Gorham’s gorgeous emotive vocals. An impassioned guitar solo enters halfway as the picking continues, eventually passing the baton back to Gorham. With just over one minute left, the “power” half of power ballad kicks in, bringing a sense of grandiosity as the song marches to the close, with great vocal melodies and a killer ending guitar solo.

“Despondence” is a two and half minutes journey of apocalyptic cinema, acting as an intro to closing track “Begin the End,” the longest song on the album at around six and a half minutes. It features a driving thrashy vibe, with nice dueling guitar action throughout. The polyphonic effect with Gorham’s vocals and the guitar lines is consistently evident, again feeling a bit unsettling while functioning as a cool musical mechanic. The extended dueling guitar solo that starts at the halfway point is incredible, while also featuring some nice drumming. Gorham does the eerie haunting approach well, and as the song gets closer to the finale, she ratchets up the atmosphere further, adding bombast as things close out.

My biggest critique of this album is that at times I feel the riffs overstay their welcome, falling victim to being a bit repetitive. The dueling nature of the riffs and vocals bring its own texture that makes it more palatable, but at times it feels a bit safe. My favorite songs are where the band stretches outside of this comfort zone, and they do a great job in these moments creating an identity that is both familiar and yet a bit unique. I would love to see them continue doing more of this going forward. I really enjoy the unsettling polyphonic vibe and love when a vocalist takes a different approach as Gorham has here. I would love to see her utilize the growls a bit more, and in general see the band incorporate more of the Jekyll & Hyde approach. Even with these critiques, this album is a lot of fun with a number of standout tracks that will have you headbanging, and I highly recommend checking it out. And this is a band you definitely want to see live if you get the chance!