TRISTANIA - Rubicon
December 5, 2010, 13 years ago
(Napalm)
I still consider Beyond The Veil one of the undiscovered gems of the Nineties, the female fronted Norwegians having moved away from the melancholy with each successive release (and mainman Morten Veland’s departure, first to the likeminded Sirenia and lately the even more gothic Mortemia). These ten tracks are almost party pop (jangly ‘Patriot Games’), compared to when Tristania took their first (belabored) breath. The ten tracks comprising Rubicon toe a similar line to The Gathering, post-Nighttime Birds, minus any overt stoner-ism. ‘The Passing’ is the first tune with prominently featured violin (once a hallmark), while ‘Protection’ briefly sees a bellicose male gruffness invade the otherwise female dominated lilt, ala Epica. Snippets of man-voices are heard throughout, but nowhere near as violently. Decent, but different.
