Label : Napalm Records
Review by Tony Cannella
It’s been three years since the last CD by Norwegian Gothic Metallers Tristania. Since then, the band has undergone some line-up changes, with the biggest being the addition of the new vocalist, Mariangela Demurtas who replaces Vibeke Stene. Finally Tristania returns with their new line-up and their new album titled, “Rubicon”. “Rubicon” has a playing time of about 47-minutes contained over 10-songs. Tristania definitely maintains its melodic appeal, while still continuing with their heaviness and playing with more up-tempo melodies than I can remember in the past. Of course, all eyes will be on new vocalist Mariangela Demurtas and she pulls through with flying colors. Her vocal style is perfect for Tristania and melds nicely with the other styles of vocals being provided by her male counterparts within the band. Clean and extreme male vocals are also present throughout the disc. “Year of the Rat” gets things off to a high-tempo, rousing good start. Tristania are at their melodic best here and is a great way to re-introduce them to their fans, both old and new – with the main vocals being performed by Mariangela. Right from the start, this song creates a great feeling for what is to come. “Protection” continues the great pacing on the CD. The tempo is a little slower on this one but it quickly became a favorite, thanks to its great melody and memorable chorus. “The Passing” features a great doomy opening riff to it. “Sirens” and “Vultures” are two more high points. “Rubicon” also has its share of songs with heavy, doomier sounding songs. The final track is the 8-minute “Illumination”, which oddly enough was the title of the last Tristania CD. This is a cool song, which features a hypnotic pace to it, it’s still heavy but the pacing is deliberate. This song certainly brings “Rubicon” to an atmospheric conclusion. It is good to see that with the new additions to the band, Tristania has not skipped a beat. They continue to be one of the very best in the Gothic Metal scene. “Rubicon” is a monster of a comeback for this Norwegian band and one that should keep long time fans satisfied.
Rating – 90/100
Tracklist
- Year of the Rat
- Protection
- Patriot Games
- The Passing
- Exile
- Sirens
- Vulture
- Amnesia
- Magical Fix
- Illumination
Line Up
- Mariangela Demurtas – Vocals
- Kjetil Nordhus – Clean Vocals
- Anders Høyvik Hidle – Guitar & Harsh Vocals
- Gyri Smørdal Losnegaard – Guitar
- Ole Vistnes – Bass & Backing Vocals
- Einar Moen – Synthesizer
- Tarald Lie – Drums
Links