THE BEAST

Tension Rising - Penumbra - Reviewed By All Around Metal! check it out here at this link: http://www.allaroundmetal.com/component/content/article/26-releases/7749-prodotti-del-genere-lasciano-il-tempo-che-trovano-tornano-i-tension-rising

The undersigned has found himself in serious difficulty in writing reviews many times and it is certainly not the first time he has written it. The sense of discomfort that sometimes afflicts your very affectionate is when he has to write about bands like this and as you continue reading you will understand why. This is self-production, this is the first point, but we are talking about an underground band, called Tension Rising, which unfortunately has little general means and therefore it would be appropriate to speak almost of "demo" than a new album itself. "Penumbra" is the title of the new disc of the New York combo and could entice lovers of modern metal Trivium / Avenged Sevenfold style to listen but with the necessary precautions!

Ten tracks that are really difficult to throw down, not for technical complexity or too avant-garde experimentation, but for the too many problems that afflict sounds, composition and more. Guitar riffs often tank model all for their own sake, a drum work that looks like a drum machine ("Getting Out of Hand") [EDIT: it's a drum machine, ed] as cold and gaunt as it is, choruses full of choirs and plastic voices… this is only part of the flaws of this album. To glue all this is added a practically non-existent production; music totally recorded at home (and this is certainly not a bad thing) but without consistent means and with a mix so confused that it would make even a teetotal drunk (listen to the terrible backup voices). There is a total confusion of sounds ("Anxiety" with its randomly thrown bass solos) where there are inexplicable volume swings ("No Tears Shed" but also in "Find the Betrayer") and a too basic execution and scholastic (“Masquerade”). The real punch in the face, however, is given by the voice that in some cases appears to be on the verge of jarring, in others it seems the drugged version of Lordi ("Darkness Returns"), while in the worst case it takes on a robotic aspect from how many effects have been put to the microphone. The tracks follow one another indecipherable and confusing always poised between metalcore and alternative rock, where the emotional parts scare for their being dull while the violent parts are more harmless than an apartment kitten (the growl is to be forgotten).

The band is advised to get back to work hard and come back on the market with a more refined product, only then will the true value be understood because at the moment certain releases are somewhat unclassifiable.

September 7, 2020 - New York-based melodic metal act TENSION RISING unleashes their long-awaited new album, Penumbra.  

Penumbra focuses on facing various kinds of darkness in the world; the darkness of relationships, politics, war, being told you're not good enough, anxiety, adversity, etc.  It's about all that we were seeing in the world while writing the album and how this craziness can affect different people in different ways.  

Penumbra is available in digital formats everywhere.  

For fans of:  AVENGED SEVENFOLD, GODSMACK & TRIVIUM 

"Unity In Adversity": The Making of Penumbra
 
"After being on a 4+ year hiatus, Chris gave me a call that he wanted to meet and chat about doing a new album. I wasn't really sure what to expect after not working on music as a group for so long. We went out to meet with Chris, chatted for several hours, and ultimately, decided to move forward with a new album that had a new sound.
 
The next week, Chris and I met up to begin writing, which we had done many times before.  But this time there was a new mindset. The first writing session was fantastic as we wrote the entire song that would eventually be called “Knuckle Up” after finalizing the lyrics. We realized that day that we were honing in on a new sound for the band; a darker, heavier sound.
 
Over the following weeks, we repeatedly wrote a full song each time we met. Then about a month later, Nick joined us  and we wrote the song that would eventually be named “Masquerade” in one day. The riffs were just flying off of Nick's fingers! The goal of a 4 or 5 song EP quickly turned into a full-length, 10 song album.
 
Then the pandemic made it's way to the US.
 
The three of us were concerned about how the pandemic and inability to play live shows would affect the outcome and support of the album.  It was time to change up our plans. We wrote separately while in quarantine, and managed to keep our momentum going. Even though we couldn't play shows, we decided we can do more videos to promote the new album instead.  

But the momentum was still there; that and perseverance which has since culminated with Penumbra; the new album due out September 7th."

- Alex Repetti (bass)

Links: 

https://www.facebook.com/TensionRisingBand/
https://www.instagram.com/tension_rising/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-ye9XfGDG0cH6ouEyyibwQ/videos
https://tensionrising.bandcamp.com/album/penumbra
https://open.spotify.com/album/5EqnLnYI7rEZPY2uEvarpQ?si=BgTYOxHaQEuhitdVW-NhlA
https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_mm7C_1mwbW7N46nLZhPXjtoAp5pmFEUm8
https://music.apple.com/us/album/penumbra/1525802006
https://deezer.page.link/tn8ZJ91GcVB1NqFN8