Triosphere
The Road Less Travelled

October 2010
Released: 2010, AFM
Rating: 4.0/5
Reviewer: JP

Initial impressions are important in this game. It can be as subtle as your choice of album title. The phrase ‘the road less traveled’ has always held some significance for me, as it nicely encapsulates the desire to strike out on your own path, and not follow the trail of the sheep. Going into this album my thoughts were already favourable, great album art, a cool title, and being released on AFM was another plus as the label has always stood for quality.



My instincts were quite accurate as THE ROAD LESS TRAVELLED is a stellar record. A big part of this Norwegian’s quartet’s appeal are the awesome vocals of Ida Haukland. Her vocals are pure power and passion. Imagine Lee Aaron at her very best and a scintillating blend of Leather Leone (Chastain) and Ann Wilson (Heart) She has range and power, and actually sings (not screams) with conviction. She certainly doesn’t have the diva, soprano style of many of the gothic styled bands.



The guys in the band are no slouches either. They pull their weight and perform a really high-energy brand of progressive metal inter-laced with good doses of melody. The band is actually surprisingly heavy in parts, with some really thunderous drumming. The band blend progressive and metal in a very fine way, much like older Queensryche, prime Evergrey, or restrained Dream Theater. This album also has guitar piled to the sky, making for a meaty, chunky listening experience. The songs never get too long or self-indulgent or too complex with multiple time changes, but the band aren’t afraid to switch gears, from a cruising head-bang to melodic interludes with acoustic flourishes. There is also plenty of decent solo action as well.



Triosphere have a fairly unique sound which is actually quite hard to do these days. The songs and delivery are on the heavier, darker end of the progressive, power metal spectrum, faster than many and really hitting home. For a newer band I am thoroughly impressed. You should take the road less traveled and check out Triosphere as well.