Sometimes, the easier way to make a musical work is the best one, without trying to recreate things (but of course always using your own personality). It evades unnecessary risks, and the band can bring something good. That’s the way of the Swedish quintet
TRIDENT. And their latest album,
“North”, is really very good.
Their music is labeled as Black/Death Metal. In reality, it can be described as that Swedish form of playing Black Metal with some traces of Death Metal and with very good melodies, something that
DISSECTION and
LORD BELIAL did with mastery. And the quintet, without creating something really new, shows its personality with a very good technical work and an amazing energy, and their musical arrangements create hooking passages during all the songs.
The sonority of
“North” is something that has that Black/Death Metal aesthetics from the past, having the due amount of aggressiveness, but shaped by a defined sound quality than enables their music to be fully understood without problems. Maybe the final result isn’t fitting as perfect as their music needs, but it’s very good, indeed.
The fine mix between brutality with charming and darkened melodies shown on
“Death” and
“Imperium Romanum” (both with charming guitar riffs and arrangements), the very good technical work shown by bass guitar and drums during the darkened assault of
“Summoning”, the bitter and slow ambience of
“Pallbearers Hymn”, the contrast between sad and somber melodies with their natural aggressiveness shown on
“Possession” (very good vocals, indeed, with tunes similar to those used by
Attila Csihar on the past), and the perfect funereal ambiences of
“North” and
“Schaman” (this one lasting more than 10 minutes) are the moments that shows that
TRIDENT’s musical work deserves to be heard at any cost!
TRIDENT comes with
“North” not to fill the space left by those that are gone, but to find their due place in extreme Metal fans’ hearts!
Songwriting: 10
Musicianship: 9
Memorability: 9
Production: 8