Band:	Tristania
Album:	Rubicon
Style:	Gothic metal
Release date:	August 25, 2010
A review by:	KwonVerge

01. Year Of The Rat
02. Protection
03. Patriot Games
04. The Passing
05. Exile
06. Sirens
07. The Emerald Piper [Limited Edition bonus]
08. Vulture
09. Amnesia
10. Magical Fix
11. Illumination
12. Caprice [bonus]

Tristania is for one more time in the controversial eye of the cyclone. The first time was when Morten Veland ceased to be a member of the band. The second was when the charismatic and adored by the fans of the band (and of gothic metal as well), Vibeke Stene, left. But the flames of controversy hadn't risen that much, not until recently when their 6th full-length album came to the surface, the 1st with Mariangela "Mary" Demurtas on the female vocals. Yet, this isn't the only change on the line-up, only two of the founding members remain in the ranks of Tristania, Anders Høyvik Hidle and Einar Moen, although Osten still partakes as a guest vocalist which is very welcome, he has also written half the lyrics of the album.

First of all, I didn't enjoy that much the cover artwork, it's not the first time Tristania had a person-centered cover and I understand they wanted to promote their new female singer, but this time it seems kind of cliché with the lust-implied stare and stuff like that. Of course we won't stay on that, it's just that inspired and beautiful covers are always… beautiful covers! And Rubicon's cover ain't one.

Rubicon is one of those albums that a band composes after severe changes in line-up which prologues a more commercial course in the near future, may the times prove me liar, but Rubicon is a pre-commercial step for the band with Mary trying her best to fit in, something she succeeds in. One could say that she's present only for the interpreting part, yet, she plays her role in the song-writing and the lyrics as well, that being a big plus for her. Concerning her voice, it's beautiful, yes, she's talented, otherwise she wouldn't have been in a band like Tristania which focuses on this kind of interpretation. Yet, her voice is not that unique, you'll find quite enough sound colours as hers in the female-fronted metal scene. Vibeke made the difference, Mary doesn't, but I still like the variety of emotions she comes across and the way she presents them. She's not alone in her task, there are three more people accompanying her, you'll find Anders' limited grunts, Kjetil's clean, melodic (with a lunatic touch at times) interpreting, even Osten as well! I think the band did its best in order to make Mary feel like home and “protect” her, maybe more than needed sometimes.

In my obscure kind of mind, I find Rubicon being a concept album, the lyrics have a sense of war, at times straight-forward, at others in a more esoteric way, depicting the broken and twisted reality of a soldier, being not able to judge by himself but waiting for orders to “think”. There's a disgust on war, a cry upon non-breathing braincells, a denial on order, a will for planet earth to finally move on and leave the “burning in water, drowning in fire” past far behind.

My thoughts on the album are very positive, I listened to Rubicon a lot to finally conclude in enjoying everything it has to say, writing down my thoughts was not the most pleasant experience, I was feeling more confused than confident. And in the end, I like the utter harmony that lies somewhere between dynamic and fragile passages, with few outbursts that escalate the atmosphere, or more heart-rending moments that leave you speechless. The violin's role this time is more limited, but that's the magic about it, whenever it appears you appreciate it wholeheartedly, especially since its parts are very inspired and overflown with emotion. The riffing once again is very good, there are also gothic rock chords and of course acoustic harmonies, offering a variety on guitar expression, blending well with the rhythm section. The keyboards play their part as well, either having a more important role, or a more accompanying one, in terms of atmosphere, but sometimes they tend to “vanish” behind Mary's “walls of sound” and that's the part of the production I didn't like that much, sometimes she stands more than required in the foreground, overshadowing instrument(s) and/or co-interpreter(s), but that's probably part of Tristania's masterplan on how they view the album.

Coherence, yes, that's the magic word, the link of the chain between the compositions in terms of atmosphere and Tristania succeeded in it. The dynamic and melodic at the same time “Year Of The Rat” and “Protection”, the twisted “Patriot Games”, the shivering “Amnesia”, the fragile “The Passing” and the overwhelming “Illumination” could be the songs that appeared to me the most, but I liked the album as a whole, except for one or two (probably being “The Emerald Piper” and “Magical Fix”).

I found Rubicon a good album, others will hate it, others will adore it, others will find it a good one as well, all I know is that with more than ten spins it has grown on me and I couldn't condemn it, despite my first thoughts finding it quite mediocre. The band has been reborn, but has the phoenix risen from its ashes? Only time will tell.

"So you slipped into the fire, I was watching it transpire."