How does a band formed in 1990 not put out a debut album until
2013? Your guess is as good as mine, but I will say that Tritonus has much
going for them. This progressive metal band has a fresh style and a cool
vibe to all of their music. "Prison of Light" is a great debut album that
I appreciate massively.
The band showcases a dynamic metal style of grinding guitars,
awesome bassy goodness, blast beats, and atmospheric keys. Indeed, the
music is driven by the incredible bass lines that bassist Oystein Moe has put
together: I really can't stress enough how much this elevates the music overall. The low, growling guitars are also not that common, with some similarity to
Symphony X, I'd say. The production isn't the best, but it's definitely
competent enough to let the music shine. Vocalist Rolf Kristensen has an
interesting voice that borders on caterwauling at times, but not to my
discomfort. He has a very melodic voice that almost reminds me of Mike Andersson of Cloudscape. He sings well, though, and even has quite a
range.
I do find one problem, though. The band is really,
really good at making tracks that open with an incredible jam that gets your
blood pumping and your foot stomping. However, I feel like the songs often
go nowhere after that. The songs are never close to catchy, which isn't
necessarily bad, but it's definitely not a bad thing to want to sing along, is
it? I feel the band could work on writing better melodies, as their skill
at composing metal portions is simply fantastic.
So, after a couple decades, Tritonus has released their debut
album. "Prison of Light" is a technical affair that feels just right in
many ways. It has its weaknesses, but I want to encourage this band to
keep going and keep playing what they love. I think success will find them
soon enough.
