|
|
23 of 27 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Morten Veland is amazing..., September 7, 2003
When I first got started into the realm of Tristania, I was immediately caught by World of Glass, and Beyond The Veil took some getting used to. But after playing it through thorougly several times (and annoying the hell out of my roommate - hey, that's what he gets for making me endure The Calling and the damn Moody Blues for so long!), I see more and more good qualities about Beyond The Veil that just aren't present in World of Glass, and it has become (along with Lacuna Coil's Comalies) the most valued item in my music collection. Why? Listen for yourself, the album is darn near flawless. This is complex, heavy, dark, beautiful, poetic, and inspired music, much to the contrary of anything you'd find on the American mainstream. Our RIAA would frown upon such talented artists, which is why it is impossible to find Tristania in any American music stores.Morten Veland is an amazing songwriter in both the lyrical and instrumental regimes. His lyrics may not be quite as introspective as Einar's or Osten's, but they're more poetic and less cliche. He's up there with Dani Filth as one of the more creative lyricists in metal, but unlike Filth, there are no satanic references in Tristania's music, it's just pure gothic poetry. And you can call it "gothic" due to the archaic themes of their songs. You don't have to be a goth to make gothic music; in fact, true gothic metal bands are not composed of goths. So stop calling Manson and Evanescence gothic. Anyway, back to the album, the guitars are so much better than they would be later on World of Glass, since Anders seems to be more of a rhythm guitarist and typically doesn't play a whole lot of riffs, whereas Morten makes a good lead. Morten's powerful extreme vocals are worlds better than Trail of Tears' Ronny Thorsen, who was his "replacement" on WOG. Osten Bergoy's clean singing seems to stand out much more here, as he sounds more like a professional vocalist on here than the cartoon character he sounded like on WOG. The choir parts are woven into the music far better, enhancing the atmosphere a great deal instead of overpowering the music. And then there's the lovely Vibeke Stene. She doesn't take as much prominence here, but to some degree, that's a good thing, because instead of sounding like mellow music with gruff vocals like most of WOG did, Stene's parts come out more as the light shining through the darkness. Flawless. Tristania is in a class of their own, and I get tired of seeing them compared to mediocre acts like Theatre of Tragedy. The only rival they have right now is Sirenia (Veland's new band), so cut the "they sound like Therion" or "they're TOT + Cradle of Filth" or whatever. That's the problem with music fans today: they don't embrace the idea of originality. Hell, any established female-fronted band (i.e., Lacuna Coil), no matter how long they've been around, is automatically an Evanescence clone in the eyes of today's industry sheep - I mean - music fans. Tristania is a clone of nobody. They are possibly the most original band in the music industry, maybe even more so than Opeth. Not many bands use a mix of slow, heavy metal mixed with operatic female vocals, live violins (the best part), classical male singing, powerful drumming, and death/black vocals in a constantly-changing and unpredictable musical environment such as this. So don't try to compare them with anyone, the massive talent of these guys (and girl) will blow you away. I dare thee... enter the realm of Tristania! Once you're in, you won't want to leave!
|
by Tristania 
