ALBUM REVIEW: Blackcrowned Majesty – Tristwood
TRISTWOOD’s Blackcrowned Majesty is the culmination of the saga of the Blackcrowned Majesty’s return. Detailing the resurrection of a being of pure darkness and rage known as ‘Ar’ath’ who returns to the land of ‘Ma’haxul.’ Taking inspiration from Tolkien’s epic Silmarillion alongside more traditional musical influences such as KILLING JOKE and BATHORY, the band have crafted an album that truly sounds like the end of the world.
The production on Blackcrowned Majesty is raw and lacks polish, however instead of feeling sloppy, it instead evokes shades of early black metal and adds to the feeling of an unavoidable force of nature coming to destroy everything in its path. Interestingly enough the band also make use of synths and more industrial elements on this release too, straying from what some would call ‘pure black metal,’ but then TRISTWOOD have never been a band to be easily categorised as anything except the broad term of extreme metal.
Not only does the production of this record lack polish, but in fact the way the band recorded it is unique in its own raw way. Eschewing multiple takes and the quest for sonic perfection and instead attempting to capture the spirit of the studio in one long play-through. So while this may not be the tightest of albums, their one-take technique has created an almost overbearing wall of sound, which absolutely crushes across the listener and takes them into that world of Ar’ath’s desolation.
This sonic assault also allows the listener insight into TRISTWOOD’s world of Ma’haxul, and how Ar’ath and her armies march across the land wreaking havoc on everything in their path. The music never ever lets up, and neither would this unyielding force of darkness. Interestingly the band choose to focus on the character ‘Rathura’ as their protagonist, who is more of an anti-hero than a hero himself – which is a wise choice in a fashion, as this album does not lend itself to a traditional ‘good vs evil’ storyline, but rather as the journey of a figure into the heart of darkness and the corrupting influence of this Blackcrowned Majesty.
Ignoring the overarching storyline for a minute and focusing solely on the musical aspect of Blackcrowned Majesty, this is a brutal album. Absolutely propelled forward at blistering pace by HMG’s drums and incredible foot-speed which leads to songs like The Hall of Rauthra’s Fate that must require an incredible amount of conditioning to play. Indeed, much of the album barely drops below 200 beats per minute. However this incredibly fast drumming is also melded well with Deimon’s vocals, which sound like they were dragged from the pits of hell, whilst Neru and Jegger’s guitar work is amazing at conjuring the sort of sonic imagery that a concept album of this sort requires, staying in sync with the rest of the band while also managing to paint a picture of the landscape.
The song A Blackcrowned Majesty is probably the most interesting on the whole record, as it takes some very heavy NINE INCH NAILS industrial synth techniques before bringing in HMG’s blast-beats to propel the track into hyperspace. Acherontic Deathcult also delves into the industrial sphere, with choir-like synths that are very CRADLE OF FILTH and demonstrate a symphonic side to TRISTWOOD that isn’t present elsewhere on this record.
The concept of Blackcrowned Majesty is incredible, and TRISTWOOD are clearly excellent storytellers, however it can sometimes be difficult to lose oneself in the story because of the sheer sonic wave that the band have created. And while it makes for an absolutely brutal extreme metal album, it does mean that some of the nuances that they use to tell the story are lost in the tide of music. However despite that, this is a very good album, and the usage of industrial techniques are something that TRISTWOOD should certainly explore further in the future, as it certainly adds an extra layer to this record.
Rating: 7/10
Blackcrowned Majesty is out now via self-release.
Like TRISTWOOD on Facebook.