Triumfall are a relatively new band to black metal, seeing as Antithesis Of Flesh is their debut. Reigning from Serbia, they mix symphonic keyboards with the raw, violent power of distorted guitars and screamed vocals, creating a soundscape that is aesthetically pleasing to anyone who likes their music furious. However, on the other hand, much of the album sounds the same, and they keyboards- as beautiful as they can be- tend to be used in the exact same way without any moments for solos or haunting atmosphere. In a music industry where monotony can be troublesome, Triumfall have dug themselves in a bit of a hole. One really has to enjoy atmospheric, raw black metal to enjoy this album.
There are tracks like "One With The Darkside" and "Skies Are The Chains" where the guitars' raw power mixed with melody and the thumping beats of the drums, which are actually quite enjoyable for their slowed down pace serve is a great momentary appreciation for the fans. However, when every single track starts sounding the same, the enjoyment is sucked up pretty quick. Even the keyboards, as virtuous as they may sound, can begin to sound stale. The only really dynamic track on the album isn't even black metal at all; it is the opening song "Atrium Mortis" which sounds like the typical, spooky begining full of choirs and keyboards with a hellbent focus on atmosphere that is heard on many black metal albums. After that it's just sheer, blasting aggression. The choir makes it appearance once, just ONCE, on part of "Skies Are The Chains," but fans will probably either pass it off or have already skipped the track because the rest of it sounds so much like all the others. It is really the beginnings and endings of the tracks that add any symphonic depth to the music; the rest in between is just sheer, audio hell, which some fans may be looking for. But, most likely, probably not.
This isn't to say that Triumfall's debut is all bad. Many of the songs, as epic and lengthy as they are, hold interest. "Within Their Midnight" holds plenty of melody and "Rise Of The Pantheon," as raw as it is, somehow lets the keyboards create a majestic sound that really carries the music in a direction that is more than just generic symphonic black metal. But, it's just the fact that there's a highlight of a unique introduction that could really have been something had it been mixed up in the album, and then track after track it is basically the same stuff over and over. The choirs were just perfect for creating that haunting feeling that isn't really seen in symphonic black metal these days; it's seen more in atmospheric black metal. Triumfall really could have done more with it to create a much more dynamic album. Antithesis Of Flesh is good, but isn't great or unique.
However, since this is a debut, fans will be forgiving enough to not turn away the band entirely after hearing this album. On the one hand it is repetitive, but on the other hand there is no sign of amateur musicianship- the vocals, guitars, and drums all sound expertly wielded and in the right veing to call this black metal. The elements to creating a good, unique black metal album is there. Fans of early Dimmu Borgir and Sothis will certainly dig this for the extensive use of keyboards and the haunting tale of a world come to and end via Hell, but more seasoned fans who have gotten a broad spectrum of black metal will not be as impressed. Fortunately, Triumfall have what it takes to make their future work certainly more impressive, and more importantly, still stay evil.
