Canadian Metal, eh? I’ve got a real soft spot for the Northern metal bands. Whether it be the much-missed Woods of Ypres, the second wave of thrash die-hards Annihilator or Space-bothering skronk-metallers Voivod, they’ve all got something special about them. Are Triskelyon the same?
In a word, yes – but not necessarily in a good way. Formed in 2021 by Geoff Waye, this album sees the main man surrounded by a host of musical guests, including some relatively well-known names such as Eric Forrest (ex-Voivod and E-Force). There are a lot of vocalists here, changing with each song. This is a bit of a mixed bag – while I absolutely loved the screaming vocals on “The Battle for Monte Cassino”, I was less of a fan of the trad-metal vocals on “Endgame Euphoria”. It’s a little bit of pot-luck. I’m never a supporter of albums with so many vocalists – I find it quite jarring. I guess if you’re an aficionado of Canadian true-metal and thrash bands you might be pleased to find your favourite singer here.
In terms of the music though, this is some solid, chugging thrash with one foot firmly in the traditional metal camp. The guitar in particular is impressive, with some stand out riffs to be found on “Eternal Conflict” and “Whispers from the Shadows”. A quick shout out to Rick Marques, who I believe performed drums throughout the album, because he really brings the steel in some of these numbers – “Eternal Conflict” for instance straddles the divide between thrash and melodic death metal with the screamed female vocals and rapid double bass drumming.
It’s the wide variation between songs that makes this album special or “special” depending on your view point. I can’t help thinking there’s at least three bands trying to get out here. There’s a very accomplished heavy metal band, a decent thrash band and even a melodic death metal band trying to be heard. The somewhat unfortunate fact is that this sounds more like a split EP than a cohesive record. Good music on here, for sure – and not short of ideas – but struggling to maintain an identity. I’d certainly like to hear more from Mr Waye, though one album at a time rather than all three smashed together.
(6/10 Chris Davison)
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