TRIOSPHERE - review added 3rd June 2010
Album Review: The Road Less Travelled (2010)
For fans of: Heavy Metal... and huge voices
Norwegian band Triosphere - Ida Haukland on vocals and bass, Marius Silver Bergesen and T. O. Byberg on guitars, and Orjan Jorgensen on drums - have been around since 2004. On the evidence of their second album The Road Less Travelled (follow-up to debut release Onwards) they deserve to be a around a lot longer.
They play a heavy, epic rock with big nods to melodic and power metal. The musicianship is first class, but the real kudos goes to singer Ida Haukland. When she emits her softer voice she sounds merely good. When she lets rip with full volume, she sounds absolutely massive. Imagine Doro Pesch crossed with Ann Wilson (Heart) and you'll be in the right ball park. She doesn't have a classically 'beautiful' tone, but the sound she emits is as potent and awesome as an atomic party popper.
The Road Less Travelled, which was completed in Denmark's Jailhouse Studios by Tommy Hansen (Helloween, Jorn, Pagan´s Mind), suffers a lack of individual massive songs, but works perfectly when blasted at full whack from a fast-driven car. If I was forced to pick the tracks which poke their heads above the others, 'Death Of Jane Doe', 'Marionette', 'Watcher', and 'Worlds Apart' would get my vote.
This really is an album that has to be heard to be believed. It's flawed - the writing and composition behind the songs isn't as good as I'd like - but the passion and power built into every track is off the scale. For a big life-changing hit of immeasurable energy, Triosphere has made an album that could split the Earth in two.
And I now worship at the feet of Ida Haukland.
Check out... The power of that voice.
Track List:
01. Ignition (Intro)
02. Driven
03. Human Condition
04. Death Of Jane Doe
05. Marionette
06. The Road Less Travelled
07. The Anger And The Silent Remorse
08. Watcher
09. 21
10. Worlds Apart
11. The Last Haven (Outro)
Label: AFM Records
Artist's website(s): Triosphere , MySpace , Facebook
