Tristania - Darkest White 2013

This septet from Norway is best known for their earlier works such as Beyond the Veil and World of Glass. We then see the band undergo member changes and then leaving their gothic metal roots, pretty much going to wider audiences, radio friendly road. On their latest work is Darkest White, out in 2013. This album continue the later Tristania sounds, but styles are blur than ever.

Number is tight black metal tunes with shrieking vocal takes the opening lead, to be followed is the female soprano voice thus making this a trademark three voices Tristania setup. Little by little, Tristanis dismissed their eclectic approach, when mixing gothic, death / black growling and symphony metal in their earlier works. This song Number is no more symphonic but toward black metal with extra operatic female voices, in lieu to gothic as main style. Darkest White is interesting darker tune, the riff sounds raw and hardly can imagine this is a band that need a female singer in it. Himmelfall is another mid tempo but groovy song. The song writing is good and the lower voices singing just fit it, finally with Mariangela joining in the chorus just added the extra multiple climaxes. Requiem saw them sing in normal composition, plain and just depend on their song writing. A good 'normal' song that give the female singer the main spotlight, after three tracks passed away. Some other songs in the rest of album alternating between going gothic, Diagnosis, Cathedral, and going experimental with black metal, alternative, to even stoner feel such as in Lavender. The final song Arteries bring back the heavy and fast tempo to close this album with enough bang.

It is hard to see this album as one single styles. It is also something redundant now to think Tristania as female fronted band, with pretty members actually. The male vocals takes the majority of the materials in Darkest White. To make thing more complicated, Tristania's guitarist, miss Gyri Losnegaard added more feminine to the band image. Darkest White did better than what happening in Rubicon, but again different from what we know in Beyond the Veil era. This is practically a new music direction and I feel Tristania at pretty wide crossroad, whether to be in extreme metal or stay in gothic or even move to alternative metal path. For now, Darkest White offer interesting line up materials with variety of styles. If you looking for uncompromising different types of gothic-death-doom-alternative metal, this could be your destined recording.

Metal Harem class: ****** seven stars out of ten

Tristania - Darkest White 2013
Buy it HERE at Amazon

1. Number
2. Darkest White
3. Himmelfall
4. Requiem
5. Diagnosis
6. Scarling
7. Night On Earth
8. Cathedral
9. Lavender
10. Cypher
11. Arteries

Mariangela Demurtas - Vocals
Kjetil Nordhus - Vocals
Anders Høyvik Hidle – Guitar / Vocals
Ole Vistnes – Bass / Backing Vocals
Gyri Losnegaard - Guitar
Einar Moen - Keyboards
Tarald Lie Jr. - Drums
Record Label: Napalm Records

Tristania Darkest White album review