Tristania
Ashes

THE REVIEW

After a full 4 years from the concept "World Of Glass", which bewildered critics and fans with its experimental vein, arrives on the shelves "Ashes", the fourth work of the Norwegian band, and the second without Morten Veland, the main composer of beautiful albums such as "Window's Weed" and "Beyond The Veil".

The band once again decides to downplay their music, offering a sound no longer pompous and symphonic (all choirs and orchestrations are gone, appearing only sometimes as background) but softer and more modern. The only relics from the old Tristania are some extreme moments and the use of growl (accompanied by clean vocals and soprano). Vibeke, abandoning her lyrical vocalisations, now sings in a much sweeter way. "Ashes" no longer makes us dream with gothic and romantic atmospheres like in the early records, but unsettles us with its metropolitan and futuristic imagery. Unfortunately, the CD does not convince as it should, despite the claims, because even the best episodes are not so noteworthy (perhaps except for "Endoginesis"). Moreover, some pieces are truly unlistenable.

"Libre" is the piece that opens the CD and is also the heaviest. The piece is nice but nothing spectacular. "Equilibrium" is the only slow piece that I manage to appreciate, although perhaps with a less excessive duration the piece would certainly be better. "The Wretched" is a nice piece that starts with really thrilling prog rhythms: the first part of the piece is more aggressive and dominated by growl, the second part is very evocative, almost desert-like, dominated by the clean vocals. "Cure" is a slow piece, incredibly boring and soporific, centered on a little acoustic guitar and the accompaniment of Vibeke. The boredom is such that it feels like listening to a lullaby. Throughout its 5 minutes and 59 seconds I hoped the piece would end as quickly as possible. Definitely the worst piece ever written by Tristania. "Circus" is the other "heavy" piece of the record: at times it seems to hint at the horrific atmospheres of "Beyond The Veil". Overall a decent piece. "Shadowman" is another rather mediocre slow piece, although not to the level of "Cure". In this piece, it feels like listening to a b-side of The Gathering, although the effect is not the same, unfortunately. The CD closes with "Endoginesis", the best piece of the CD, emotional and almost mystical.

Summing up, the CD is absolutely not a masterpiece, but it is more than decent. Moreover, it must be taken into account that Tristania have shown courage in changing their sound. For the fans.