Coverart for TriosphereLuckily I live in a detached house. I’m not gloating or anything – it’s my potential neighbours I’m thinking of, because when an album like Triosphere’s 3rd release “The Heart Of The Matter” comes along (a bit like I felt about the recent Sinbreed) I just have to keep sneaking that volume up. Headphones are fine – but I just love to hear Metal reverberate around a whole room..and keep tweaking that volume up – just another notch…Wow, that’s even better…maybe another notch…Hell Yeeeeaahhh! The guys doing the roadworks outside have packed in – they just can’t compete. THAT kind of volume! I may be a little deaf thanks to all the drum playing in my past (some people may have commented, but I’ve not heard them for some reason…), and I know it’s an old cliché, but some Metal is just at it’s best played loud.

It helps when it’s bloody good Metal too, and Triosphere are bloody good! Like a heavier, more Power Metal Lullacry, a less miserable Sinergy or a female-fronted Sinbreed – Triosphere ooze Heavy Metal. The sheer energy and power that Triosphere exude is more than enough to make me sit up and take notice, but I guess what will make the band stand apart to many people is inevitably the fabulous vocals of Ida Haukland. She makes me think that if Ann Wilson of Heart came along nowadays, she would be singing like this on this kind of music. She really gives it some wellie – power, force, melody and precision, all at the same time. Lifting what are already damn fine Metal tracks onto another level. She’s a rather useful bass player too!

But the tracks…Slab after slab of weighty, double-kick fuelled Metal spews forth from the speakers – an unstoppable force. Conjuring up comparisons anywhere around Astral Doors, Metallium and the aforementioned Sinbreed, the production is just clean enough, and upping the bass brings that driving rhythm section even further forward (if you wish), underpinning the intricate and powerful guitar-work. But then the vocal lines just bind everything together – everything fits so well together that it’s hard to work out which element the songs were written around first. Pick a song at random, any song, and it will have all of the above traits at some point (apart from the acoustic closing track) – but better than that, it will have all of the above traits that make you take notice, hook you in, and leave you wanting more.

What an absolute pleasure this album is to hear. Female Fronted Metal fans – Check. Power Metal fans – Check. Heavy Metal Fans – Check. Speed Metal fans – Check. If you like powerful, fast Metal with great melodies as well as fabulous technical ability and song-writing…come on, do I really need to say it?

(8.5/10  Andy Barker)

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