Telomyras â Duskfall Review
By Andy-War-Hall
What usually draws me to an unfamiliar band is an association with a familiar one, a novel concept, a superb album cover, or any combination of the three.1 For Seattle, Washingtonâs Telomyras and their debut record Duskfall, however, it was their promoâs âFor Fans Ofâ list: Sanctuary, Metallica, Ignea, Crimson Glory, Death, and Seven Spires. This list is thorough War-Hall bait. Though I worried that Telomyras were doing what I normally do while cooking dinnerâthrow everything I love into it, flavor profiling be damnedâI nonetheless eagerly snatched up Duskfall. âWhat could this possibly sound like?â I thought. Symphonic death thrash? Theater kid extreme prog? Hot garbage? Regardless, Telomyras promises âa unique blend of heavy metal and extreme metalâ led by the operatically-trained Sammie Gorham. For me, Duskfallâs success depended on whether Telomyras could harness their multitudinous influences into a cohesive package or not. So, did they?
If you look for it, Telomyrasâ FFO list isnât wholly inappropriate to Duskfall. For starters, thereâs a muscular power-thrash vein running through Duskfall, imbuing âBurdenâ and âReckoningâ with early-Metallica/Sanctuary aggression. Crimson Gloryâs influence is primarily felt in the guitar leads (âThe Altarâ) and overall prog-power approach, but the kick patterns of âHarbinger (âŚThe Eternal Night)â feel straight out of Transcendence, while the Death namedrop seems to arise from Gorhamâs cavewoman howls on âReckoning.â Including Ignea and Seven Spires is false advertising, however. Thereâs nothing symphonic about Telomyras, and though Gorham performs the beauty-and-beast vocal dynamic solo like the other two acts, her darker tone sounds more akin to Towerâs Sarabeth Linden than the other acts. When Telomyras are at their best (âAttrition,â âThe Altarâ), Duskfall is an enjoyably thrashy, powerful, and darkly atmospheric exercise in extreme-leaning heavy metal.
Though Telomyras are a talented bunch, Duskfall suffers from chemistry issues. In the guitar department, Telomyras can crush some respectable riffing by way of half-time Metallica chugs (âWitchâ), speedy palm-mutes (âBurdenâ), and bruising thrash chops (âAttritionâ). The solos on Duskfall are exquisite; theyâre not especially flashy, but they bring a frantic energy to âBurdenâ and an 80âs power ballad pathos to âDuskfallâ without resorting to basic Boomer Bends either. However, problems arise with how the instrumentals fail to mesh with the vocals. Gorhamâs cleans sound off production- and performance-wise, sounding much muddier than everything else and at times out of sync with the rest of the band, almost like a karaoke take of itself (âBegin the Endâ). She also frequently leans flat, which stands out due to the aforementioned production issues and are especially evident during the layered vocal segments (âReckoning,â âAttritionâ). Interestingly, Gorhamâs harsh vocals donât have these issues at all, making Telomyrasâ more extreme-influenced cuts like âHarbinger (âŚThe Eternal Night)â and âAttritionâ Duskfallâs smoothest cuts. Otherwise, Duskfall sounds like a band not exactly on the same page.
The real trouble with Duskfall is, somehow, that Telomyras play way too close to their chest. Telomyras can riff, but much of Duskfall is stuck in a mid-paced, meat-and-potatoes heavy metal mode playing out stock riffs. By the time âBegin the Endâ rolls around, Iâve heard everything simply too many times. Further production issues mute Duskfallâs potential, leaving Telomyrasâ low end dull and high end slathered in copious gain. But the sad part of Duskfall is that itâs just too reserved to succeed in the genre. There are few soaring hooks, no truly nasty solos, and the only drastic tonal shiftââDuskfallâ bringing in the whole band for the climaxâfeels jarring and unearned. Thereâs nothing wrong with honest pocket playing, but when the drums, riffs, solos, and vocals are all in the pocket, that pocket gets cramped and leaves the listener without a hook to grasp. It leaves Duskfall feeling fairly banal, which is just disappointing considering the evident talent behind it and the promise of Telomyrasâ influences.
I was initially concerned that Telomyras would be balancing too many ideas, but, conversely, Duskfall doesnât do enough to stand out. Duskfall too easily slips into the background while listening, and precious few moments stick in my memory afterwards. What kills me about this is that Telomyras are evidently better musicians than whatâs being played on Duskfall. Better production wouldâve certainly helped, but no amount of mixing can redeem songwriting without audacity. Hopefully, Duskfall is only an awkward first step for a band still getting their footing, as its best moments prove that Telomyras possess a serious upside. Hereâs to hoping dawn breaks on that potential next time.
Rating: Disappointing
DR: 9 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps MP3
Label: Self-Release
Websites: facebook.com/Telomyras | telomyras.bandcamp.com
Releases Worldwide: May 8th, 2026
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