Review Summary: The Dark Times of Symphonic/Gothic Metal, Part 1
Here's the first review in the Dark Times of Symphonic/Gothic Metal series, originally written for the Metal Archives. We begin the series with Tristania, possibly one of my favorite bands, a band that has made some of the best gothic metal songs, and also, some of the worst.
From the beginning, with "Year of the Rat", we know it's a new, not necessarily improved Tristania. The song has some fairly simple riff and synths work, a singsongy chorus with lines such as "Now you're a rat and you can't sleep at night". While not exactly obnoxious, it feels way too simplistic, like it has no effort put into it and could have been made by any of the thousands of generic symphonic/gothic/pop metal bands. This is a problem for the album in general: the songs are not particularly memorable, they often feel rather generic and like Tristania didn't put their best efforts into it.
For example, "The Passing" feels like a lost bonus track from the previous album "Illumination", with its sort of mellow verses and dramatic chorus sung by the entire band. "Sirens" also has a leftovers from "Illumination" feel, with its sinister vocals from Kjetil Nordhus and chorus where Mariangela Demurtas, the new female vocalist, sounds a little like her predecessor. But I'll admit I enjoy its darker atmosphere. Unfortunately, when Tristania tries new things, like the weird alternative metal in "Vulture", it doesn't work all that well either. It works a lot better in the final song, "Illumination", a long and eerie track with strange lyrics and freedom and control.
Overall, this one is one of the few I would consider somewhat good, along with "Sirens" and two others: "Protection", a nice ballad with growls that still makes those two contrasting elements work together somewhat, and the heavier "Patriot Games". This one has a pretty good vocal performance from Kjetil and a rather catchy chorus. This is one of the few songs to have some energy and feel a little "epic".
But like for "Year of the Rat", the chorus of "Patriot Games" is ruined by being sung in unison by Kjetil and Mary. The combination of their voices just doesn't sound good, and individually, Mary's voice is... While I think the hate she gets from Tristania fans can go way too far, I'll have to admit I just don't like her voice. It has a weird, shrill and nasal tone that from what I've seen, people either don't mind or think it's the worst thing they've ever heard, and I'm more in the latter category. I'll admit her voice has a unique sound and some power, that can work on heavier choruses, like on "Exile", or on the more alternative metal leaning "The Emerald Piper". I think in a different style of music, her voice could work, but it clashes horribly with Tristania's gothic and atmospheric style. Most of the time, they make her sing softer parts, which she's clearly not suited for.
This is obvious in "Amnesia", which I consider one of the word ballads I've ever heard. At worst, Tristania's ballads are nice but generic, but this one is the type of sad song that just makes you feel emotionally drained, and not in a good way. It's melody is depressing enough, but its nasal and shrill singing, from both Mary and Kjetil, makes it even worse.
OK, maybe I'm hitting an easy target, but I can't help it, this album is just bad. I thought that if I gave it another listen, it might actually get better, but it managed to get worse and worse. It's definitely Tristania's worst, and probably one of the biggest embarrassments of the whole gothic/symphonic metal scene. It has some good parts, but I don't like them that much, and they don't really hold a candle to Tristania's best. Mostly, it suffers from a lack of creativity and a new singer that doesn't fit the band's style. Its follow-up, "Darkest White", is not exactly great but it makes better use of Mary's voice and it's a vast improvement on "Rubicon". I'm glad it was made,, because otherwise, "Rubicon" would have really been a really sad note for Tristania's career to die on. Yes, I have very high expectations for Tristania, I'll admit that. But if "Rubicon" had been made by any new band, I would not have been particularly impressed and put that new band in the same pile of not terrible but extremely generic acts that clutter the gothic metal scene and make it look bad. From a band that I love and respect so much, "Rubicon" is just unacceptable.
