Triskèle - Triade Nordique (2008) - It's all about the intense atmosphere - 89% (14/11/11)

"Triade Nordique" is the third output of the band Triskèle and a very hypnotizing record that offers some pleasant surprises. The band doesn't only focus on speed and blast beats as many other bands of the same genre but they are able to create a truly majestic doom atmosphere. A lot of passages in each of the songs are rather slow and depressive and establish a great flow. The band also uses several interesting interludes that underline the lyrical approaches and folk topics.

The highlight of the record is without a doubt the epic "Vers la route des ancêtres" that offers atmospheric and hypnotizing black metal at its very best and includes some great changes that keep the attention high until the end of the track. The other epic track which is "Les murmures de la forêt noire" offers some outstanding guitar riffs and is actually quite catchy. The whole album is filled with calm and chilling instrumental interludes such as "Révérence du passé" or "L'étendard" that are welcome changes of style within the record.

There are also a few more redundant tracks that fail to surprise and vary as much as some of the other ones, for example the overlong "Les Hommes du Nord" or the faster and mostly ordinary "La forêt, mon univers". But overall, the band convinces and the album as a whole piece of art is quite impressive and addicting as it grows more and more with each new try. It's not about details or innovation but the strength of the record is its doom atmosphere. As this release is strictly limited to fifty copies including a great foldout poster, you should get this nice gimmick by contacting the band or trying to see them live. Let's say that the cover artwork and booklet are great and the sound quality perfectly fits the atmosphere. It's an underground sound but not too much as the band just found the right mixture between underground aggressivity and a rather good sound that let us here the instrumental variations such as of drums and guitars. Triskèle have some dull tracks in their set list but also some outstanding works that are among the best of the genre and whole Quebec black metal scene. I hope that these guys will be able to catalyze their strengths for the future by creating more epic, atmospheric and progressive songs such as the incredible "Vers la route des ancêtres". Right now, I already give a fairly positive rating but I know that these guys could even do much better.