Tryptikon is the newest band from Thomas Gabriel Warrior, who was the founding member for legendary bands Celtic Frost and Hellhammer.
"Triptykon will sound as close to Celtic Frost as is humanly possible, and the album I am working on will feature all the material I envisioned for the successor to Celtic Frost's Monotheist. I desire the album to be a darker, heavier, and slightly more experimental development of Monotheist." - Thomas Gabriel Warrior
It certainly is a dark album. The intro on opening track 'Goetia' lasts upwards of 2 minutes, and are 2 of the most haunting, atmospheric minutes that you are likely to hear this year. The album continues in this trend, featuring crunching guitar riffs thats sound like they have come from the depths of hell, and vocals that wouldnt be out of place in a horror film, such is the anguish and pain portrayed throughout.
The lyrical themes deal with mostly inward thinking and soul searching. There definitely feels like alot of pain about the way he left Celtic Frost has been witten and recorded for us, which just goes to further improve the style of album that Tryptikon were aiming for
The album comes in a hard, book cover style case, and the liner notes not only detail the lyrics for each song, but detail the inspiration and thinking behind each song. A small thing some will say, but a nice insight into the thought process that went on throughout the making of the album, and not something that I can recall seeing anywhere else. It all enhances the experience in my opinion.
The songs are a good length, the shortest clocking in at 5 minutes and 20 seconds (excluding 'Shrine' which is an interlude that is less than 2 minutes). Some may feel the songs are too long though, and might not be interested by the time they reach the final 20 minute epic 'The Prolonging'
Overall, this is a good album, it certainly delivers what Warrior had envisioned it to be. A definite purchase this year, and I am sure one that will feature in several 'best of 2010' lists come December.
