Tristania - Rubicon

About a year ago I discovered Stavanger, Norway's Tristania. Out of curiosity I bought their (then) latest album, Illumination.

That album blew my mind and I soon had most of their back-catalog, too. Complex, layered music with haunting male and female vocals--theirs was the perfect sound. If I had the resources my stuff would sound a lot like that.

So, it was some trepidation that I waited this new one, Rubicon. Trepidation because the main reasons I love Tristania so much--the vocalists--were both gone. Would the new people be able to fill those enormous shoes?

I'd say, from listening to this one, that'd be a 'yes'. While the new vocalists don't have the same vocal style as the previous singers they are outstanding in their own right, and I feel like they will do fine when performing some of this band's classics live. Good news, because it would be a terrible thing to see Tristania live and not hear "Shadowman," or "The Ravens." (There is a video of the new lineup performing "Shadowman" and they do it quite well, so no worries on that score.) The new stuff takes Tristania's sound into a new direction without forsaking their roots--lots of stuff their long-time fans will dig here, and plenty to attract new ones.

Pete Johanson returns as a guest musician on a couple of tracks with his other-worldly violin solos. His work on "Amnesia" is particularly wonderful. He plays the violin the way a top-notch shredder plays guitar--musical but strange, haunting, surprising, evocative of another world. Much like Tristiania's music as a whole.

I give it a solid A. Which means you'll love it. Check out their other stuff, too, if you haven't already. Soon you'll have it all. You won't be able to help yourself.