i searched and there was no topic for Tristania so here it is!

as many of you may know already Tristania's upcoming album is called Illumination and it's planned to be released sometime in september. any expectations?

i, personally, have no expectations because i know it'll be something different, as always, so i'm just waiting anxiously to be surprised.

Damn! I've lost my Beyond the veil album somewhere in my house

I'm looking for that album gonna buy it

Zeraphine! I'm so glad you opened this topic, I was hoping you would

I finally got my copy of the Midwinter Tears DVD and.. I'm slightly disappointed. The sound and video quality is a bit low. I feel like I'm watching a VHS tape from 1985. The concert is great of course and I'm so glad I have it but I was expecting higher quality. I was surprised how good Vibeke sounded live. Usually music goes slightly down in quality during live performances but she just blew me away! She sounds better live than on the album!! I have a new appreciation for her skill level

I feel I'm one step behind all the time..... So they have a name for the upcoming album now? Illumination is a nice name, the only thing left to see if the music will be that good. Their previous album "Ashes" was a really good album, very organic. Have they reviled any details about the album get?

heh, i have the chance to say once again how i love this band.. We all cant wait for the Illumination album.. We are all curious about how different is this album comparing with the previous...

@Lyrinan.. actually i couldn't believe there was no topic on them when i opened this one. as for Midwintertears DVD... actually it IS a VHS turned into a DVD so the quality couldn't have gone up to the one of a regular DVD. still it's a very good concert, i'd say perfect! all of the members put all they have in that concert! not only Vibeke was amazing but also the duet between Morten and Anders on the growling. Anders' headbanging is extremely sexy. back to Vibeke, yes, her skills definitely are amazing! she kept her voice always crystal clear with no trace of trembles and such. she definitely gave vibe and freshness to the songs! can't wait for another live DVD though. the band promised one soon.

@Torelli...
Tristania Press Release

"We are eager to announce that the new album is completely finished. We are all delighted with our latest creation, which has been named Illumination. The planned release is in September.

Some titles from the album are Sanguine Sky, Open Ground, Lotus, Down and Mercyside, to mention a few. All titles will be revealed at a later date.

True to tradition, we have made an album with a definite and unmistakably Tristanian sound, but which also brings a lot of new and fresh material. The album is another evolutionary step and lets us explore new areas while staying true to our roots.

On every track, the moods and elements are plentiful; ranging from doom to industrial, from soothing synthesizer passages to technical metal riffs, from dark ballads to classic goth rock - it's all there. We've used a string quartet on several tracks, which attributed yet another dimension to those songs.

The collaboration with producer Waldemar Sorychta worked really great; we all worked well together as a team. We are delighted with the production, which is exceedingly powerful. Waldemar also came to Norway, prior to going into studio, for two pre-production sessions. This was a very rewarding process which left us better prepared than ever going into the studio.

It is hard to describe the individual songs, but as ever, the material is very diverse. In a few weeks time, we will post samples from the album online, to give you an impression of the release. We will also post a video collage from recordings made in Woodhouse Studios, where we have spent quite some time this spring.

Illumination sports some of the strongest vocal performances from both Vibeke and Østen. The extreme vocals are less frequent, but the parts appearing on the album are truly great. We wanted to get someone special to do these parts, and were lucky to get one of our personal favourites in the field to make a guest appearance on the album; namely Vorph from Samael. His performance is truly of the highest standard.

The music is written by Anders & Einar, with a couple of tracks co-written with producer Waldemar during the pre-production in Norway. Østen is the main lyricist, although Einar has written words for a few songs. Kjartan Hermansen has also once again shared with us his skills as a lyricist.

Those of you who will see us on the Evolution Fest in Italy and Mera Luna in Germany this summer will get to listen to some of the new material - that's a promise. A lot of the new tracks will be killer live material. "

there you go. you can find some more details on the album in the news section of their official site. i'd say it's going to be a killer.

Thank you Zeraphine, but i wouldn't be too sure that the album will be a killer. Maybe it is me prejudges against industrial music that is haunting me, but that bit worreis me. But then again, I could be wrong. The first time I listened to Ashes I was dissapointed at the growling parts, but after a couple of spins I reconsidered and now I think it's there best work so far. I shouldn't judge the new CD before hand, instead I should try to listen to it with an open mind when it comes.

I didn't really like Ashes, so I use a different style on the new album. From what they've said about it it sounds very promising, so I hope they stick to it. Tristania can be such an awesome band. It took me a while to really get into them, but Widow's Weeds is really growing on me.

Tristania have a special talent to get you hooked in no time. i've been obssessed with all of their albums. i wasn't very keen on Ashes either when i first heard it but after some time i decided to give it another chance until i ended up hooked on it for months and months. and i still love it. i'm sure this upcoming album will be as wonderful as all of their releases.

For those who are intrested in the latin part in the song Angina:

ut te postremo donarem munere mortis

translation: "to present you with the last guerdon of death" but could also mean "So that I might bestow you with the final gift of death". I found two translations, but it doesn't matter that much beacuse the meaning of the line is still the same.

The line is perfectly ripped of from the poem Catullus 101, written by the Roman poet Gaius Valerius Catullus(84BC - 54BC)

Sources:http://www.vroma.org/~hwalker/VRomaCatullus/101.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catullus
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catullus_101

Well i wasnt really all that interested in the latin part of Angina, but its still interesting to know more about one of my favorite bands.

Im really looking forward to the new album, eventhough Ashes was probably their worst album, it was still worth the money to get it. I havnt really got any expectations, but i do hope that Orsten Bergoy writes the majority of the lyrics as he did no world of glass.

I have an ambiguous feeling about the upcoming album. When I first heard 'Ashes', I didn't really like it. It was not really the typical sound of 'Widow's Weeds', my favourite Tristania album. Now I got used to the sound, but still it's not one of my favourites although I like it now. I just hope they will make an album that sounds a little more like their earlier work, but I suppose this will be hard without Morten in the band. I'm very curious to hear the final result.
I also wonder who will perform the growls instead of Kjetil...

Ashes was never bad for me, i liek it, perhaps not as much as their first 3 releases, but overall its a good album, i mean the first two are almost 10/10, WOG is not far behind, and likewise Ashes. It wasnt quite as heavy as the others either, very doomy.
New album is something im looking forward too, perhaps, with the small upset of the male vocal departure... it brings doubt to my ears... but we shall see.

Ashes was so boring

The others are totally orgasmic, I can scarcely lsiten to any other gothic metla bands because they are so far behind Tristania. It's so much darker than pretty much all ther goth metal bands and for once every single member is worth listening to unlike the goth metal stereotype of jsut the singer and keboardist being good.

Fantastic band for sure.

I've only got the first two and I've heard bits of Ashes...but the first two definitely leave most other Gothic Bands in the dust.

How many male vocalists do they have now? Do they both growl? I know Osten does clean...

I'm definitely looking forward to the new disc, and really pleased that we only had to wait 1 1/2 years to hear new material!! The last time was nearly 4 years, was it not? I'm interested to see where they go after "Ashes", because I have learned to love "Ashes" as much as their older releases, sonically. I think "Ashes" got a bit weaker near the end of the CD, so I'm curious to see how the band evolves and strengthens their sound here.

"Ashes" has such a fresh sound in gothic metal, and disconnected the band fully from the Morten era, and Tristania seems like they are in such a songwriting "zone" with this upcoming release. I'm a bit disappointed at the loss of a full time extreme vocalist, but having Vorph of Samael could more than make up for it here. Irregardless, any music that reminds me of tracks 1-4 on "Ashes" will be a delight... I still listen to this CD and genuinely look forward to the transitions from song to song through "Cure."

Although some people say that Ashes is an awful album, I think it's one of Tristania's best, only below Beyond the Veil. I'm really anxious to taste this new album, as soon as possible. Yeah, I'm curious to see how's the band going, but since it's formed by awesome musicians, I think it's most certain this album will be better than Ashes (I hope ).

Tristania is the best band in their country and genre. Even though I had high expectations about Ashes, when I finally heard the album it managed to exceed them all. Ashes is one of the best 2005 albums, it has no filler tracks on it and everything that makes me love Tristania is present. I think some people should finally get over Morten's departure and give this album a chance. It may have less energy than Beyond the Veil had for example, but I like the calm sound. There are also some amazing instrumental sections in some songs like Cure and Endegenisis. The vocals are beautiful, I never really cared about choirs. Every new Tristania album has been another step in the right direction, so I hope it will continue like this with Illumination, if it's even possible anymore to create something even better than Ashes.

My favorite song, however, is not on the Ashes album. It's Crushed Dreams, one of the most perfect songs I have heard. It has the best introduction and outro in any Tristania song. The ending melody is absolutely drop dead gorgeous, because I have always been a sucker for piano and violin combined. The saddest thing about it is that it fades away so quickly, and I try to catch it by boosting the volume up because I never want it to end. Vibeke even sounds aggressive in some parts (2:45, 3:55, 5:15), considering the fact that the vocals are the cleanest ever. The song is definitely in my top10 favorite songs, and I have heard quite many songs in my life.

@Graveheart: What a perfect post! I love what you said about Ashes, about Tristania's evolution, about getting over Morten and about Crushed Dreams

Anyway, yes I am a big fan of all their albums as well. I go thru phases of having each be my favourite - currently I'm in a "World of Glass" phase and can't stop listening. After reading your discussion about Ashes though I think I'll listen to that tonight. I also love the calm atmosphere of Ashes: Cure, Shadowman, Bird, Equillibrium, perfection.

I have a prediction that they will tour the USA in 2007. Maybe it's just wishful thinking on my part but they mentioned wanting to do one in the past. I bet that would be the most amazing show ever...

Initially I really wasn't that into Tristania. It was weird - I would listen to it, kind of like it, and then turn it off halfway through an album and not listen to it for weeks at a time. I don't know why, it just took a while to grow on me. I still don't consider them one of my favorite bands, but I like them quite a lot and I'm looking forward to the new album. I think it will be an interesting step for them, and I like that they're going to be using more clean vocals than growls. I don't really like growls that much, and I think they're very overdone with BnB bands besides. It would be refreshing if they cut them out entirely, but whatever.
I would love to see them live just to see if they can pull off such a complex, layered sound outside of the studio.

Great band! Old Tristania or New Tristania, they still great with melodie and great lyrics, definally one of my fav Gothic bands.

Personally I think that Ashes is bad album, when I heared it I feeled very disappointed, I think that they will go a step forward but it wasn't true, Widow's weeds & Beyond the veil are amesterpieces, maybe the music and the esscence of band is gone with Morten Veland...

@Surtr, no, the essence is not gone in my opinion, and I tire endlessly of the Tristania/Morten debate the same way I tire of the After Forever/Mark debate after his departure. "World Of Glass" was a bit too plastic in its production, but it has numerous virtues in it, and shows a band ripe for transition. I really feel that "Ashes" is the product of a band ready to genuinely evolve, and it shows in the new sounds found in every song. The production is so different, and the songwriting to me shows many hours of intensely worked over tracks that feel like that are as good as they could get.

It was such a treat to me to hear a song like "Cure" which finally gave Vibeke the floor all to herself. The videos, especially for Libre, show such a chaotic vision that I never found in anything they had done before--nor do I find it in any other band current to the scene. Sure, "Ashes" was a bit of a shock on those first few listens, but damn, after a hundred listens, the CD still continues to provide enjoyment to me!

Written by Jason W. on 29.05.2006 at 08:26

@Surtr, no, the essence is not gone in my opinion, and I tire endlessly of the Tristania/Morten debate the same way I tire of the After Forever/Mark debate after his departure. "World Of Glass" was a bit too plastic in its production, but it has numerous virtues in it, and shows a band ripe for transition. I really feel that "Ashes" is the product of a band ready to genuinely evolve, and it shows in the new sounds found in every song. The production is so different, and the songwriting to me shows many hours of intensely worked over tracks that feel like that are as good as they could get.

It was such a treat to me to hear a song like "Cure" which finally gave Vibeke the floor all to herself. The videos, especially for Libre, show such a chaotic vision that I never found in anything they had done before--nor do I find it in any other band current to the scene. Sure, "Ashes" was a bit of a shock on those first few listens, but damn, after a hundred listens, the CD still continues to provide enjoyment to me!

A lot of bands evolve, but not all the evoltions are good enough, there are bands that evolve and their newest material really sucks, Ashes seems to be an album that was done just for selling under the name of Tristania, I know that they won't release another Beyond the veil but when you see Tristania in the coverart you expect something good and Ashes isn't at least for me; I think that Sirenia is not as good as Tristania in some aspects but personally I think that Veland is doing a better job without the other members of Tristania than Tristania without Veland...

Fair enough man, but i think both latter Tristania albums beat Sirenia's album, mainly because their front girl is a terrible singer compared to others, she left though, which might make them better. Understanding you dont like Ashes, what exactly was wrong with WOG?

Damn! Still haven't found Beyond the veil I've lost it pretty well

I know it's somewhere

Well yea, I haven't listened to Tristania in a while now, which is good I think I'm looking forward to hearing their new album and I decided not to listen their old albums and stop bitching how I want another BTV and just accept Illumination for the way it will be.

Written by Dark Cornatus on 30.05.2006 at 07:49

Fair enough man, but i think both latter Tristania albums beat Sirenia's album, mainly because their front girl is a terrible singer compared to others, she left though, which might make them better. Understanding you dont like Ashes, what exactly was wrong with WOG?

WOG seems to plastic, the most of the songs have no sense to me, even more the voice is not the best in my opinion, the only thing that I really enjoy was the violin...

In my opinion World of Glass has two different sounds on it.. The first is like thesound of the previous albums like the World of glass song.. The other sound is the other side of the album which contains songs like Lost and it brings me on mind something like Theatre of trafedy new sound, and its easy for someone to distinguish it... I think they just wanted to try something new, more industrial, like they tried for something more heavy and slow in Ashes...

Tristania is one of my favorite bands, they make good music in all their albums, specially in Beyond The Veil and World Of Glass, which are my favorite ones of course, and the violins! just awesome. Another album I like is Widow's Weeds, the music is really beautiful but sad at the same time, like the song "December Elegy"

I prefer the old stuff, when I heard Ashes, I was quite disappointed with the music, it's really different