Deemed as one of the premier goth-metal acts on the scene today, Tristania’s fourth full-length album was awaited with bated breath by many fans around the globe. It was over three years since World of Glass, their last album, had been released. Tristania had gained many fans in that time, but many older fans were doubtful of the band’s direction ever since founding member Morten Veland left the band after the Beyond the Veil album (released in 1999) to form the band Sirenia. Tristania fans have been a split camp ever since then: those who say that Morten’s departure has only perpetrated a downward motion in the band’s sound, and then those who felt that as long as frontwoman Vibeke Stene was in the picture, the band could hold their own. Many older fans thought World of Glass to be a sub-par offering, and it only made fans with either viewpoint all the more anxious to see what Tristania would do next. When the World of Glass tour ended in 2002, the band would shy away from the public eye to completely devote themselves to writing material for a new album. They would not be heard from again for over two years.

The year 2005 would usher in the next Tristania release, which was to be entitled Ashes. Things looked promising: the band was playing shows all through the summer and fall of ’04 to introduce fans to the new material, they would be opening for Nightwish in the United Kingdom shortly after the album’s release, and would for the first time in their entire career, do a tour in their own home country of Norway. Tristania had not been heard or seen on the music scene since for two full years. What had they concocted in the studio all this time, how would it compare to albums of the past, and how would it fare with fans both new and old alike?

My copy of Ashes would come over a month early, but for reasons that will become apparent as one reads on, this review took a long time for me to write.

The opening track, “Libre”, kicks off hard and heavy with growling vocals courtesy of their new male singer, Kjetil Ingebrethsen. This is one of the heaviest tracks on the album, and a favorite of mine to blast loud when the mood to play something so heavy strikes me. The intense combination of these aggressive vocals, soaring guitars and strong drums go on for about a minute and a half to make way for Vibeke’s lilting vocals. Futuristic keyboards lightly pepper the instrumental break, but it is still mostly the dominating guitars and drums. Kjetil’s vocals come in again, with Vibeke’s sweet voice as a contrast this time. Then there is spoken part, almost spoken in a Benedictine manner, and then another verse of the roaring male vocals before the quick and seemingly sudden end.

Lovely acoustic guitars begin the second track, and the band’s first single, “Equilibrium”. Electric guitars accompany the sound not too long afterwards, and then a nice, clicking drum to make for a happy trio of sound. This is one of the gems on the album, utilizing Vibeke’s singing and not drowning her out with the array of male vocalists that is common within Tristania. There are clean male vocals on this song courtesy of Osten Bergoy, but it is clear that Vibeke is the lead vocal here. However, he is good accompaniment to her voice, they go much better together than she and Kjetil. It is apparent that Vibeke has gone down the road of other operatic female singers in the metal world today, and is branching out into other vocal styles. Her voice in this song is not operatic in the least, but it is no less beautiful or pleasant to listen to. Osten’s voice is rich and deep, complimenting the high, gentle voice of Vibeke. The acoustic guitar and drums are the mainstay of this song, but an electric riff ends it quite nicely.

“The Wretched” begins with rhythmic drums, then kicks into a sort of Images & Words-era Dream Theater-type drum part and keyboard riff. Then the music changes yet again to an almost monotonous guitar part to make way for Kjetil. Crunchy guitar parts, and then chant-like vocals from Vibeke and Osten, with the Kjetil’s vocals layered over the two. A drum roll that seems almost out of place, and then a violin part that calms down the overall vibe of the song. The drums slowly bring the song back to the chant-like vocals, this time from Osten alone. After his part, a funky guitar part, then back to the main riff, then again to the dual chants of Vibeke and Osten. The Dream Theater-esque drum roll, then another part of the song that does not seem to fit in with the rest. It almost feels like it was written in at the last minute, or part of another song that never fully culminated. Osten chants again, and this whole part nearly feels like an entirely different song. Likely this part of the song would be considered the bridge. Then it comes back to the growly vocals of Kjetil and the original riffs, a ripping guitar part, then a fade-out.

The fourth track, “Cure”, is another mellow song, and is my favorite on the album. More serene vocals from Vibeke, and equally easygoing guitars and drums, leading way to acoustic guitars and piano. This is a song that a fan such as myself has always wanted from Tristania: a melodic song that showcases Vibeke’s vocals without piling other singers on top of her as if she were a backup singer. My favorite Tristania song is “Deadlocked” from World of Glass because of this reason; it is quintessential Tristania sound but has Vibeke in the front where I feel she belongs. This song is very much the same, though the style of this song in comparison to “Deadlocked” is very different. The song floats into a beautiful mix of dreamy acoustics, gloomy keyboards, and sweet piano, then Vibeke’s more operatic voice pulls you back in. This is definitely a song for the critics of Tristania, those who think that it is all just harsh vocals and that Vibeke is not so much a frontwoman as just another singer. It also shows those same critics that Tristania can be hauntingly melodic without compromising a shred of the musicianship that makes them a heavier band. The song languorously fades out, with a tendency to almost make one forget that this is, after all, a metal album.

Whispering, the sound of feedback, and tinkling piano open up the fifth track, “Circus”, and then a steady bass line gives the segue way to a ripping guitar part, and then chanting from Vibeke. A spoken part by the Osten follows. A rather boring song on the whole, with the same repetitive drum and guitar parts. Kjetil’s growl comes in again, then chanting by Osten. Little bits of piano throughout, with whispering from the Osten as a contrast to more thunderous vocals from Kjetil. The song ends abruptly, then there is whispering and a keyboard sound that fades out. This song makes a sad return to Vibeke as nothing more than a backup singer.

“Shadowman” is a fade-in song, the guitars and bass building up to the joining of the drums and keyboards. Another song that promises to be heavy, but falls short. Vibeke returns for a lead vocal, but it is rather flat and does not seem to utilize her voice overall very much. Osten comes in for his turn, but he too sounds almost disinterested. After they both do an individual part, they sing together. A nice piano part during this, and then their vocals are almost like a dialogue, one singing after the other. The piano, guitars, drums, and barely-audible male vocals are a buildup to a more boisterous vocal from him. Then the song becomes mellow again. The guitars return to attempt to bring heaviness to the song, but never seems to achieve it. All in all, this song never really leaves the lower mid-tempo and is not one of the more memorable tracks on the album.

The next track, “The Gate” is another one of my favorites on this album. It begins with a fade-in as well, but with the more gothic touch that Tristania is known for. Dark and moody piano sounds, then a burst of guitars and snarling vocals. This is one of the heavier songs, but don’t think it is a throwback to Widow’s Weeds or Beyond the Veil. So far, what is to be considered heavy on Ashes would be considered a ballad by any one of their goth-metal contemporaries. Vibeke and Osten join together with shadowy vocal parts, and Vibeke gives just a small taste of her operatic voice. A piano part reminiscent of the classical touch breathes life to the middle of the song, then some more growling courtesy of Kjetil. Another instrumental break, then the piano part again, this time a little faster. More of Kjetil’s extreme vocals, then another ending that seems almost as if it were hurried. This song is probably the most true to the gothic style of Tristania, but I would not go so far to say that it is a return to their roots.

Song eight, “Endogenesis”, starts off with nice acoustic guitar work; Einar Moen is fast on his fingers on this beginning part. Heavy guitars and Kjetil’s voice lead the way on this song, but the fast acoustics make the song something unique and also very melodic. Another violin part, bringing in yet more gothic influences into this song; however, these classical instrumentation parts are so small and nearly unnoticeable. Then the song takes a more relaxed pace to lead in Vibeke’s harmonious vocals. Then there is an almost quiet break of light keyboards to introduce heavy guitars, then back to the overall melodic feel. Vibeke’s voice returns with Osten as a background voice. Then, almost as if to snap you out of your listening enjoyment, Kjetil’s shriek comes in from seemingly out of nowhere and shatters the mood of repose. A bit of heavy guitar, but the overall relaxed vibe is not entirely gone. Another part where the song seems like it does not know where it wants to go, the sound of a guitar somewhere far off in the distance. More of the biting guitar parts, then a sloppy transition to the acoustics and shuffling drums. Yet another song that seems like the ending was not quite what it had intended to be.

The final track, “Bird”, begins with Vibeke’s lovely vocals, and morose acoustic guitar parts. It is one of the darker songs on the album. The bass line and drum come in to intro Osten, but he sounds a little harsh on this song. Then a guitar part preludes Kjetil’s parts, and after that a small keyboard part that is almost reminiscent of old Yes. More of the commanding vocals, then Vibeke comes in for a singing part. In the beginning of the song where she is so dominant, it almost seems like she was relegated at the last minute to the role of backup singer once again. More of Osten’s voice with Kjetil’s voice layered as backup vocals this time. Vibeke joins in once again, and then the album ends as quickly and apparently prematurely as nearly every other song on the album. It is a most anti-climactic end to an album that never seemed to reach a peak in the first place.

Overall opinion: I cannot say it nicely enough, so I will say it honestly---Ashes was quite the disappointment to me as a Tristania fan. Now, I am not one to complain whenever a band changes their style or goes for a sound different from their “standard” style, but I do not feel that this direction was the right one for them to move in musically. There is no denying that they have stripped down their sound a great deal, but there is a fine line to cross during that transition of stripping down the unnecessary and leaving nothing but the bare minimal; if crossed too far it can leave the sound seeming empty and dull. When left to the bare minimum, Tristania does not seem to fare so well. The classical elements of albums past are gone with the exception of the small violin or piano part thrown in, but they are nothing in comparison to the dramatic classical influences of the past. One of the pros about the album is that there is more of Vibeke singing, but the downside to this is that her voice is pared down considerably; it is not the powerful instrument that commanded attention in previous albums. It is almost as if she is being held back instead of being showcased more. There are shining moments on the album, but sadly, they are few and far between and do not seem to be enough to save the album overall. The not-so-shining moments on the album far outweigh the tiny flickers of hope sprinkled throughout. I will say that I still have much respect for Tristania as a band, I respect that they have made a bold move to change their style of music and I applaud them for not taking an easy route and doing what is expected of them. However, it does not mean that I have to like the direction they have moved in. It is almost like they are not the same band anymore. If reading this review is your first introduction to who Tristania is as a band, I cannot recommend Ashes as a good way to better make their acquaintance. I would suggest trying any of their older albums to give them the fair chance they deserve, as they are a good band, and then maybe after that if you are feeling daring, to take a chance on Ashes. This album does not encompass the dark and heavy sound that makes them, to me, one of the best goth-metal bands around. I am not one to condone constant repetition of the same sound, but I really do not think it would have hurt them to have some elements of familiarity within their sound. Ashes could prove to be an eerily prophetic title, because that is what the band’s music will turn to if they continue going in this direction.

Studio photos provided courtesy of Ralf Strathmann: http://www.ralfstrathmann.com
All other photos can be found on the band’s official website: http://www.tristania.com

Reviewer: C.

1/2    (1/2 out of 5) - lower than below average but not quite awful.

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