| Tristania Napalm, 1997 Lord Pale: 4 track self titled mini cd from this 6 piece gothic metal band from Norway. First opening with a musical displaying calm acoustics before some soft synth that develops into choir synth and war drums before calming again and breaking into the first actual song �Midwintertears� . Tristania�s primary vocalist is a deep snatter (like a less cheesy Crematory vocal or a softer death metal style) who is occasionally accompanied by some well-sung female vocals. Tristania are roughly in the same vein as bands like Theatre of Tragedy and Sins of Thy Beloved, but that is no reason to simply dismiss them as slow and boring like the aforementioned bands as Tristania�s songs are a lot more interesting as well as being better composed and having a slightly less dark feel than both of those bands. Lyrically about the usual gothic love tragedy�s and loss with a well written and slightly drawing feel to them (sometimes highlighted by snats and softly spoken parts). The guitars are heavily distorted and crunchy, and the songs are long and interesting, a worthy debut. Favourite Tracks � Midwintertears, Pale Enchantress Mark � 7.5/10 Tristania �Widow�s Weeds� Napalm, 1998 Lord Pale: Debut album featuring 2 rerecorded tracks from the self titled mini cd. Same sound and style as the MCD: distorted slow to mid paced guitars keep the rhythm beneath floating female vocal melodies and deathly growls, with occasion piano interludes and heavy with dreamy synth. The two reworked tracks �Midwintertears� and �Pale Enchantress� are good choices and the new versions have a few small changes giving them a more polished (different) sound. Some deeper doomier styled clean vocals are introduced on the song �Angellore� which is a nice area for this band to hopefully get into. This song also has a more up-tempo rock to it (Katatonia). Lyrics are again all romantic tragedy, which is virtually expected from this style and suits the music admirably. More depth is also added by the inclusion of a choir and occasional violin pieces, unfortunately something had to suffer for all these good additions and it�s the artwork. The booklet and cover display poor choices in pictures and are decked out in shades of silver and red!?!?! The more prevalent female vocals make this more relaxing and reflective without getting annoying or whinny like Liv Kristines. Most songs sit in the 6 � 8 minute mark with a few exceptions. A solid release. Favourite Tracks � Midwintertears, Evenfall, Wasteland�s Caress Mark � 7/10 Tristania �Beyond The Veil� Napalm, 1999 Lord Pale: Tristania�s Second Album boasts vastly improved cover art and imagery than Widow�s Weeds, depicting decaying ruins and naked veiled women. Tristania appear to be leaving behind the romantic imagery in favour of a more classical outlook. Musically faster than it�s predecessors, with more deep clear vocals and more snappier less flowing synth. Song structuring is similar to previously, however the average song length has dropped to between 4.5-7 minutes. The new approach in artwork is reflected in the change of musical execution, with lyrics expanding into Greek mythology as opposed to lost love and romance. Choirs and female vocals are again of a high calibre and are utilised effectively not for the sake of it (ie Theatre of Tragedy). Beyond The Veil is a darker album overall and sounds less thoughtful and more suspenseful and eerie (�Opus Relinque�). Another solid release. Favourite Tracks � Aphelion , Heretique , A Sequel Of Decay Mark � 7/10 Tristania - World of Glass Napalm, 2001 Lord Pale: I'll give Tristania their due credits, whilst retaining an almost identical guitar sound to 'Beyond the Veil', they have still come up with a few new ideas and are attempting to incorporate more of the sorely underused clean male vocals into their music. 'World of Glass' is surprisingly good considering the line-up turbulence the band suffered and the fact that they inhabit a dying genre where stagnation is bound to happen. Female vocals and choirs are again used quite well and the harsh keyboards of 'Beyond the Veil' are used alongside softer moments as well. More interesting is the incorporation of snappier guitar work like that of a less crunchy Orphanage. Overall an interesting album like all of their others, but their next opus will have to be exceptional to keep me coming back. Favourite Tracks - Wormwood, Lost, The Shining Path Rating - 7/10 |
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