Customer Reviews

Widow's Weeds

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This album is the best one Tristania ever made. I would classify it as Atmospheric Gothic Death with Black influences. The music is very heavy and dark and slow to medium paced. The male death grunts and female operatic gregorian vocals are interweaved beautifuly with occasional black screeching vocals. The music is very atmospheric and gives you a feeling of gloominess, mysticism, and darkness. In my opinion the best song on the album is "December Elegy", this song combines the three vocals together; the operatic female, the death grunting male and the background black vocals, and the music is haunting and dark interweaved in a melancholic theme. The song "Wasteland's Caress" has only black vocals with the operatic female ones, with no death grunts and it represents a very good example of Black Gothic Metal. Finally Tristania have made a superb job making this album which is a true combination of death and black influences with Gothic metal. Tristania lovers will also love: Theater of Tragedy, Even Song, Empyrium, Ever Eve, Lacrimosa, and Therion.

Tristania were the first modern gothic-metal act (that seems to be the right term for them) I encountered, and I was truly blown away by their sound on this, their first full-length release. As soon as track Evenfall kicks in you know what you're in for. The songs are simple yet effective and never outstay their welcome, in fact I can find very few faults with this album, the production especially is first-rate. This was also the first time I heard Pete Johansen's violin work, and he perfectly compliments a couple of the songs. I prefer this album slightly to their next, Beyond The Veil, possibly only because I heard this first, and it was definitely better than their most recent effort, World Of Glass, which I think suffered from Morten Veland's departure. A must for gothic-metal fans.

I have had this album for quite some time now and it still holds a special place in my heart! Continuing where they have left off, Tristania prove once and for all that they can hold their own among the more respected acts in the genre. Don't believe me? "My Lost Lenore" has got to be one of the greatest songs ever composed! It is perfect in every way and definitely worth the price of the disc alone...

The deep and well composed (sometimes multi-movement) music is complemented by the now standard operatic female and brutal male vocals- but it works in perfect harmony! Though Tristania have lost some of their glimmer in the later years as the lineup changed, 'Widow's Weeds' remains one of the most inspired and important recordings in the genre (definitely challenging the more respected and admired Theatre of Tragedy masterpieces)!

The first songs I heard from Tristania were from Beyond the Veil album. Later I bought Widow's Weeds, and I must admit, that altough both albums have their own distinct style I still prefer Widow's Weeds more. Maybe it's because of the melancholy dark romantic theme or songwriting, maybe it's the peaceful sound.

Usually a metal album is heavily compressed and way too loud and aggressive. Widow's Weeds instead is mixed and mastered more traditionally - you can in fact hear all the different instruments, and the cd won't blow my speakers up when I put the cd into my player. I really appreciate Tristania's effort to produce a honestly good-sounding album. The songs don't even clip, as songs in metal other albums - like Beyond the Veil - do... I really wish I could find other albums like Widow's Weeds.

If someone thinks that growling is a big no, then I suggest to reconsider. It took me many years to learn to tolerate growling, not to speak of shrieking or female growling. It just takes time, like everything else. By ignoring all the good music with growling vocals is like ignoring one of your basic tastes - bitter.

Besides that, I like the intro and outro parts - Preludum and Postludum - of the album, too. They allow me to relax and adjust to the forthcoming bliss of symphonic gothic metal, and afterwards give me time to realize, that it is over again.

This must be one of the best gothic releases ever. The music is incredibly composed, the vocals are beautiful and scary, the music is dark, epic and beyond amazing. The depressed violins, the pianos, the whole way the music is built up is some of the most incredible I have ever heard. The lyrics provide just the final touch to the dark gothic mood that takes you far away. Songs like 'Evenfall' 'Midwintertears' and 'Pale Enchantress' are some of the best gothic songs I have ever heard. The prelude and postludium and the songs between makes the record a dark epic whole that sends you through a universe of cold dark forests, beauty, fear but above all gives you a fantastic musical experience! Buy this record - you will not regret it!

I first purchased "Beyond the Veil" but found "Widow's Weeds" on so many Listmania lists here as a Gothic Metal masterpiece that I had to get this, as well. Well, I do believe I owe a debt of gratitude to all who placed this album on their list, because it really is an amazing piece of work. "Widow's Weeds" is more fluid sounding than "Beyond the Veil," with supremely sad passages and classy sound samples. Some of the samples include a rainy train station, a little girl giggling(apparently running and playing, as if in remembrance of lost youth), and near the end a thunderclap of cannon fire. The production here is not as sharp as "Beyond the Veil," but the songwriting is arguably stronger. The music here is more emotional and haunting, and I find myself drawn to this album more and more. Vibeke Stene's vocals are sometimes stunningly beautiful, while Morten Veland's growling vocals are guttural but at no times comical. There is so much ambition on this album, a "debut" album I might add, that I simply cannot give it less than 5 stars. Amidst the sorrowful songwriting there is a chanting choir, elegant piano, powerful guitar, gorgeously arranged string sections and solo violin, chimes, and even a wooden flute floating on the wind in the song "December Elegy." All in all, I can find no flaws with this excellent presentation of all that is good about Gothic Metal. Thank you.

This album is a MASTERPIECE! They combine Death/Doom Metal with symphonic arrangements. True, there male singer does sound like a raspier Marylin Manson but their female vocalist recalls Kate Bush! Tristania also display some interesting influences. Besides Sabbath (obviously) their best song "angellore" sounds like mid 80s Damned with elements of Alice Cooper's "Nightmare". Tristania's second CD "Beyond the Veil" is also great but "Widow's Weed" is more focased. Buy this first!

If you like doom metal, bands like Theatre of Tragedy, Celestial Season, Ancient Ceremony, buy this right now. As this music continues to evolve, Tristania is at the frontier. Imagine doom metal growls and screams side by side with operatic female vocals, along with melodic heavy guitar riffs, keyboards and violin, all balanced for the perfect effect. This music rocks.

Disreguard L Salisbury's review. It isn't helpfull in the least because the review is completely false. First off, the female vocalist sounds nothing like Kate Bush and second, Tristania has never been a death metal band. Leave that to the likes of Nile, Cryptopsy, Soilent Green and Necrophagist.

Salisbury did, however, get it right when the term "Masterpiece" was used. This is one of the best albums of the genre. Every single song is just as good as the last. Each one delivers a beautiful display of atmosphere and emotion. Sure the guitar work is slightly on the simplistic side but the brooding atmosphere and beauty created here greatly surpasses anything that shear shredding could produce.

When you think of gothic metal you probably think of The Birthday Massacre, Beseech, Sentenced, Sethian, Type O Negative and To/Die/For eh? Well, Tristania has taken the genre to a whole new level with the likes of Katatonia.

Case in point, this is a brilliant display of gothic/doom metal and if you want something more, Try "Beyond the Veil" and Katatonia's earlier works.

This album is just too beautiful to describe properly. Excluding the preludium and postludium i would have to say that angellore is the weakest song on this album. But that's not saying much considering that its still a 9/10 song. It just seems slightly out of place and would have fit in better on beyond the veil than it does on this album. I can't really say i have a favorite song although i would have to say that veland has his 2 finest points in My lost lenore and Pale Enchantress. "Tearful I walk with thee through dusk through winds of loss. her beauty and her flood..." that whole verse is probably morten's standout point. he is just so damn godly sounding there. And then the chorus for my lost lenore is again 1 of morten's best growling parts. Although he is amazing throughout the whole album the way the songs work with his voice on those 2 parts are amazing beyond words. Great lyrics here as there were in beyond the veil. much better than worlds of glass constant depression and suggestive suicidal intents which gets very boring and meaningless 2 listen 2. O well back to this album. The violins on this cd are just amazing they fit in perfectly and are so damned beautiful and haunting. The strongest point for this album is its ability to stir your emotions and make you feel what they want you to in each and every song which is something world of glass lacks.