Reviewed by:
UG Team, on july 18, 2003
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Sound: // 10
Lyrics and Singing: // 10
Impression: "Beyond the Veil" was my first Gothic experience. Although I was not really enjoying the death vocals, the music was so good and the lady's voice so great... Something made me become a big fan of this band. I think it's the magic of all these elements combined together that makes it such a pleasant musical treat.
With their second Napalm release, Tristania is offering a magnificient Gothic cathedral made of rich architectural details and desings, decorated with wall to wall romantic paintings. A powerful choir greets you as you enter this monumental musical construction and before even noticing it, you become one with this exquisite decor. Vibeke has an extraordinary vocal instrument and she'll instantly put you in a hypnotic euphoria that will last throughout the compositions. Should I add that she leaves a beautiful impression in your melodic memory file. And what a perfect death vocal! The choir is a graceful combination of four ladies, including Vibeke, and two gentlemen. My god, I'm in heaven will you think when listening to "The Shining Path". A real paradise opens up this journey into the most impressive Gothic album ever! The music is everything more than you can expect. Strong guitar, pounding drum and bass, complex piano parts, colourful keyboard arrangements make this opus a jaw dropping intro. Pure genius! I confirm it, I'm in heaven when listening to "Wormwood" with its impressive medieval male choir opening the celebrations! So many outstanding vocal elements in one song. I'm stunned! Here, all the angels sing together. A highly spiritual composition with plenty of gorgeous additions such as acoustic guitar, violin. If your jaw was on the floor, leave it there because you'll just keep putting it back. Grandiose extreme Gothic metal is what this album is all about. What a beautiful angelic diva! And what a choir! Death vocals that are clear enough to understand and sound effects to give it a rather intriguing sound. "Tender Trip on Earth" will kick you in the mouth (oups! watch your jaw!) right away with its heavy guitars, bass and drum only to tend you a much gentle hand after by means of a very melodic passage blending a sumptuos mixture of instruments and vocals. A very enchanting Vibeke will charm you with lines like "You make my tired heart sing...". Brutal death metal with intricate prog structure awaits you on "Lost" along with gregorian chant leading to a solo of what? Violins! backed up by heavy guitar.... Unbelievable!!! "Deadlocked" is simply a drop dead gorgeous ballad. Acoustic guitars and violin escort a graceful singing beauty, installing you in a pure romantic feeling. What a delicious moment... Many more are coming but without revealing all, I'll let you in on some of the highlights. It seems that there's no boundaries to their talent. On the second part of the album, you can find more clean male and female vocals, nostalgic lyrics and so on. "Hatred Grows" is quite refreshing with faster female singing and next thing you know, a very dramatic death passage: "So much pain, so many tears..." Add to this a clean low male vocal to wrap up this gift. "Modern End" is some kind of techno space odyssey with distorted drum effects. To crown this tremendous musical adventure, the last composition is a completely avant-gardiste masterpiece with an ever changing musical direction revolving around funny keyboards, tortured violin notes, a very progressive symphonic passage, death vocals, great choirs making it a real grandiose finale ending on a sad note. Sad because it is the end....This is more than beautiful. This is more than Gothic. This is the most beautiful Gothic expression ever achieved!
The enigmatic beauty on the cover of "World of Glass" will invite you to explore and discover what this world is about. Like glass itself, it reflects lights and colours in all directions. Fragile and beautiful but be careful not to break it because it will leave you wounded in a bath of tears and blood... // 10
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