ALBUM REVIEW: Back On The Streets – Tumenggung
In the Malay and Javanese languages, both official to the archipelago nation of Indonesia, the Tumenggung (also spelt Temenggong) is a high-ranking title given to the head of public security, responsible for the safety of the monarch and overseeing the state police and army. It’s also the name of a trio from Central Java, specifically the city of Yogyakarta, who are the country’s premier heavy metal export and delight in the raucous, fist-pumping power of the NWOBHM in its fullest of pomps. Formed in 2007, TUMENGGUNG‘s full-length debut Soul Of Steel (2020) caught the eye of Jawbreaker Records, who have snapped up the group and are releasing sophomore record Back On The Streets on Friday 17 January.
There will always be a place in metal for the classic sound of yesteryear; if there weren’t, bands like IRON MAIDEN would have died out long ago. TUMENGGUNG are not the first band to keep the flame of what was once a fledgling sound burning and there are definitely moments where you can see the promise and potential this band has. The production has that turn-of-the-80s vibe, still relatively raw but with a clarity that stops it from being muddy. At 35 minutes, it doesn’t outstay its welcome either, which plenty of metal’s most seminal records hover around. In terms of song strength, the title track is punchy and sonorous, vocalist Arif Wahyu Ramadhan hitting some impressive high notes as he goes and Symphony Of Hate has an air of proto power metal about it, parked firmly in the DIO camp for pacing and riffage, while the guitar work is solid twin-lead harmonies, impressive when Ramadhan is the only one who wields an axe. 1000 Tons Of Metal is the sort of name you’d expect on an album like this and its Heaven And Hell-era SABBATH stomp will be sure to get heads bobbing. There’s also a freshness in hearing an output like this from Indonesia itself – Encyclopaedia Metallum lists nearly 2,700 bands from the country and most fall under the brutal death metal, so TUMENGGUNG have hit upon a lesser market to exploit.
Outside of the aforementioned flashes, however, TUMENGGUNG have much to learn. Talented musicians they may be but they still lack an edge that would propel them to the next level. It’s unfair on any band playing classic metal to say ‘I could just listen to SAXON/MAIDEN/insert other band name here’ because there’s never going to be another band like that, but there’s still too much walking on well-trodden ground for one to sit up and believe that this could be a group destined for big things. Living On The Edge is a prime example of a song that, whilst not inherently terrible, doesn’t stick in the memory for long past its end point because it leans too heavily on tropes without exuding a defining character. The same holds true for Soul Reaper – is it a bad track? Not at all. Does it leave the album on a high note? Same answer as before. It’s disappointing because you can hear the improvement from earlier releases, yet there’s less than may have been expected.
Without question, TUMENGGUNG have something, a nugget of possibility that has undeniably grown in the five years since their debut album. Yet, Back On The Streets, although displaying some good moments, isn’t consistent enough to suggest that this is a group who will make a true mark on the world. Those who enjoy the likes of RIOT, DOKKEN and NIGHT DEMON will likely find more to appreciate than most, but otherwise this is an album that won’t receive many spins.
Rating: 6/10
Back On The Streets is due for release on January 17 2025 via Jawbreaker Records
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