Triosphere - The Road Less Travelled

(To be printed in PowerPlay Magazine Issue 122)

Triosphere play a particularly ferocious brand of power metal, clearly putting to shame the claims of “flower metal” that plague the genre. Opener 'Ignition' misleads the listener with its mellow start before quickly collapsing into a rampant flurry of powerful tremolo picked riffs, wailing guitars and relentlessly blasted drums that serve to set the tone for the rest of the album. The Road Less Travelled’s primary strength lies in the well executed mix of heavy riffs and melodic tendencies, all of which are brilliantly exemplified by the impressive pipes of Ida Haukland. The operatic projection of Ida’s voice is made all the more enjoyable due to its sheer clout, perfectly complementing the heavy / melodic dichotomy that defines Triosphere’s music. The album remains hugely over the top but manages to just about get away with it through the utter bravado the band applies to every track. Whilst there are some dull moments ('Marrionette' being a prime example of this), the extra touches like the spiky-violin guitars of 'Watcher' or the frenzied chorus of the title track make it a worthwhile listen to those who want some metal that lives up to the title of ‘power’.