Trinacria - Travel Now Journey Infinitely Review
by Mark Hensch
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Featuring members of Enslaved, Audrey Horne and Fe-Mail, one could consider Trinacria a supergroup. Rather than rest on their collective laurels, however, the band instead pushes the envelope of heavy music, actively seeking new methods of aural torture. The results of these labors rests in 2008's Travel Now Journey Infinitely, an album which dwells in the hinterlands between black metal and noise rock. Over the course of its vast and startling trek, listeners will realize just how beautiful yet brutal the phenomenon of sound is.
Starting with the hypnotic "Turn Away," Travel initially feels like a long and winding road brimming with all manner of attractions. The song meshes droning riffs with a rhythmic drum line, producing a hallucinogenic effect. Breaking the monotony is a series of monstrous growls, followed by a guitar solo drenched in speaker fuzz. And just like that, the song ends, revealing a destination completely removed from the original journey.
The next stop on the tour is "The Silence," a hazy mix of hollow-sounding blastbeats and atonal guitar washes. Joining the chaos are random feedback squalls, the likes of which jump out with no warning or logical order. Building up into a thunderstorm of noisy dissonance, the downpour vanishes into a moment of clear guitar chords tangoing with twisting metal riffs. Schizophrenic and delirious, the song displays equal parts beauty and belligerence.
"Make No Mistake," meanwhile, kicks off with an amplifier howl before launching into a sloppy, punked-out black metal attack. The most interesting trait of this song is its disorienting atmosphere; at some points, it stabs with bursts of noise, at others with thrashing leads.
Next in line is "Endless Roads," a sinister slice of experimental metal. Soft, ringing ambiance collides with moody guitar strums, eventually overflowing into a torrent of gloomy riffing. Relentlessly pounding, the song's startling finale leaves plenty of lingering tension.
Sadly, the brief "Breach" barely capitalizes on this momentum. Short and unfocused, it twists and turns in circles, never really going anywhere at all.
The album's title track, however, is such a stunning work of art all is forgiven. Ominous hums dance in the dark with sorrowful female vocals, producing a world of sadness and despair. As these wails build in urgency, they boil over into outright shrieking. This is next replaced by driving guitars and deep howls, all of which assault the senses with a powerfully desolate sonic landscape. By song's end, even the most skeptical of metalheads will believe in this unusual band.
Though at times rough around the edges, Travel Now Journey Infinitely is a promising and unusual debut. Trinacria's various members have produced what sounds like a cross between Enslaved, A Perfect Circle and even Converge. For those who have ears for such a bizarre style, this will hit the spot.
Tracklisting
Turn Away
The Silence
Make No Mistake
Endless Roads
Breach
Travel Now Journey Infinitely
CD Info and Links
Trinacria - Travel Now Journey Infinitely Rating:8.5
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