Before reviewing this album, it’s important to mention Celtic Frost and Hellhammer. Although the site has already published news about Triptykon, some readers might have missed it, so I felt the need to give this brief explanation.
Most of us are familiar with the legendary Celtic Frost and Hellhammer from 1983, 1984, and 1985, and we also know well the works they produced during that period. The reason I bring this up is because Thomas Gabriel Fischer (aka Tom Gabriel Warrior), a key figure behind Triptykon, is directly connected to those bands.
First of all, many wonder how much this album resembles the Morbid Tales sound. Honestly, it’s best not to set expectations too high. That doesn’t mean the album is bad — far from it. You will notice a heavy doom metal atmosphere throughout, with an overall gloomy mood. There are moments where similarities with Morbid Tales can be heard, and some parts even remind one of Darkthrone’s Punkthrone sound. The female vocals and clean vocals, which I’m not usually fond of, are also used here; though in some places, they are integrated quite well. What I liked the most, however, are the guitar tones — they really stand out and are phenomenal. The occasional solos are also very well executed.
As for the tracks, the last song is 19 minutes long. I usually get bored with such lengthy compositions, but surprisingly, I didn’t on this one — in fact, I quite liked it. There are two other long tracks on the album as well. Overall, the album consists of 9 songs and runs for about 73 minutes, which is quite substantial.
My favorite track by far is A Thousand Lies. For those listening to the album for the first time, I highly recommend starting with this song. I haven’t heard such a high-quality track in a long time.
Regarding the instruments and vocals: Tom Gabriel Warrior – Vocals, Guitars, Programming
Norman Lonhard – Drums, Percussion
V. Santura – Guitars, Vocals
Vanja Slajh – Bass
The keyboard and piano parts you’ll hear were likely programmed on a computer, as the band has no dedicated player for those instruments.
Tracklist:
Goetia – 11:00
Abyss Within My Soul – 09:26
In Shrouds Decayed – 06:56
Shrine – 01:43
A Thousand Lies – 05:28
Descendant – 07:41
Myopic Empire – 05:47
My Pain – 05:19
The Prolonging – 19:22
Total length: 1:12:42
Additionally, the Japanese edition includes a 10th bonus track titled Shatter.
The album was released by Prowling Death Records, a label I don’t follow closely. As for the album cover, I couldn’t make much sense of it. The only two recognizable elements to me were a Baphomet figure and what appeared to be a harsh treatment of a woman with a figure reminiscent of Jennifer Lopez. I’m not a fan of such covers, but that doesn’t mean it’s a bad cover — I’m sure many people will appreciate its design.
In conclusion: Given the lineup, I was excited to listen to this album. While it didn’t exactly disappoint me, it somewhat failed to meet my expectations. Frankly, I expected something dirtier, faster, and more aggressive, but found only one track that fit that bill.
I’d give the album a solid 7 out of 10. For those who enjoy doom, death, and black metal combined, this is definitely an album not to be missed.