Tristania
Beyond The Veil

THE REVIEW

With "Beyond the Veil," the Norwegian band Tristania finally emerges in the realm of Gothic/Metal. Many, myself included, consider it to be one of the most representative albums of this genre. Part of the content of this CD is hinted at by the cover: destruction, pain, and salvation. Three themes that are then analyzed in each of the album's songs.

From the instrumental point of view, guitars and violins are at the center of attention, two instruments that also make it possible to define this CD as Gothic. It is the peak, in Tristania's production, of their use of Gregorian chants that accompany the wonderful voice of Vibeke Stene. The female voice, a soprano, is highlighted by the alternation with Morten Veland's death growl (his last album with the band), one of the few growls that can be defined as terrifying.

Moving on to the songs in the batch (all very long, "Aphelion" almost reaches eight minutes), the most representative of the album is the title track, "Beyond the Veil," which in its six and a half minutes never bores. It opens softly with faint chants and then floods with powerful guitars in a very particular rhythm. Next is "Aphelion," a good example of pure Metal. "A Sequel of Decay" is generally less dark; Vibeke particularly stands out here. "Opus Relinque" is the darkest and most infernal track of the entire album and also one of the best. "Lethean River" and "A Sequel of Decay" do not particularly stand out, but they are by no means bad, quite the contrary... "Simbelmyne" is purely instrumental... subsequently, we find the track that ultimately brought Tristania to the podium: "Angina." An energy of sounds that seems to transport to another world. The reason for its success is, in my opinion, attributable to the particular sound. Finally, we find another of the CD's best tracks, "Heretique," unfortunately lacking the female voice, but the track is by no means inferior, noteworthy is the chilling opening that then becomes a succession of guitars. "Dementia" is also beautiful but not at the same level as the previous tracks.

In light of this, the rating, as might be inferred, is a 5. "Beyond the veil," besides being recommended to fans or lovers of the genre, is also widely suggested to those who want to try to enter and get to know the genre, because it is unlikely to disappoint.