Widow's Weeds
Widow's Weeds gives melancholy several different forms. Tristania use heavy guitars, piano, choir and violin to let the songs develop. Vocals move between Morten Veland's rough voice and Vibeke Stene's clear, high lines. Their contrast creates much of the tension, but the backing has just as much to say.
Following the brief introduction, Evenfall immediately shows how well these elements work together. Guitars and growls give the music weight while choir and clean singing enlarge its space. Melodies remain identifiable among the heavy accents. This makes the opening accessible despite the many sounds occurring together.
Pale Enchantress maintains the dark character. Quieter passages alternate with heavier movement, so melancholy does not have to come from a slow pace alone. The violin offers a different kind of melody from another guitar part. Such details give the album a colour of its own.
Piano plays an important role on My Lost Lenore. Its melody gives the other instruments and voices a clear direction. The band use the arrangement to strengthen the song instead of continually placing something new above the same idea. This is one reason why the longer pieces usually hold the attention.
Not everything is equally tight. Midwintertears stays with some passages longer than necessary, and the end of Evenfall also requires patience. The interaction between voices and instruments is still strong enough to support much of that length. Widow's Weeds remains a convincing gothic metal album because its atmosphere comes from clear musical choices. Melodies and different vocal characters give the heavy music meaning, while quieter details provide as much character as the outbursts. The band make the full sound work through the relationships between its parts, rather than relying on weight alone.
