TrYangle - TrYangle [Album]

Lockjaw Records

September 29, 2009, 08:02 PM

Views: 331   Comments: 10

Buy TrYangle - TrYangle [Album] From Amazon.com

TrYangle’s self titled new album lands on my desk totally naked; a see through sleeve, no booklet, let alone a press release. The CD itself is simply white, logos from the band, label and PR and the track list on one side. Now, us reviewers tend to hate this, it’s more research to do and feels like the label is being lazy and not interested enough in promoting the product adequately. In this case though, as the internet doesn’t tell me too much about TrYangle either, the nakedness and simplicity of this promo seems to have a point. F ocus on the music, we don’t need any visual frills and neither do you to like this album!

I did discover a little bit though; TrYangle are three guys from Portugal (hardly a rock’n’roll location), and contains Gonçalo on vocals and guitar, Ricardo on drums and Nuno on bass. They started six years ago, but through changes of line up and no better specified dramas, their first full length only saw the light of the day this year. The most important question is, who are they, and what do they sound like?

I guess you could label them as “post grunge,” with just a hint of “nu metal” but I’ve never been a fan of the whole “post” and “nu” thing as it’s often a sad expression of an era musically lacking creativity which steals from the past, adding bits and pieces which most times just end up spoiling everything. I don’t think this is the case with TrYangle, so I guess we can file them under “stoner” or more simply under “Rock”... with a capital R.

While as an influence the first name that comes to mind is Soundgarden, Gonçalo’s vocals take us back to Alice in Chains before their never forgotten loss. The superb musical talent of all three elements creates a magical labyrinth of harmonies and riffs where the lyrics play a subtle hide and seek game. Every detail sounds musically perfect, and yet each song holds on to that rawness that defined grunge.

It’s hard to pick a favourite out of TrYangle’s self titled album. The harmonies in 'White Dress' are hypnotising, 'My Way' fast riffs in contrast with elongated vocals are addictive, the ethereal atmospheres on 'The Never Ending Lecture on Breathing' takes you on a trip where you might even bump into some old Pink Floyd, 11:27 final track 'Universe' has to be heard to be believed.

It’s hard to take in that this is a debut album (and from a Portuguese band nevertheless), easier to accept when you think there are six years of life and hard work behind it. It might not be album of the year, but the surprise when this scruffy looking promo from unknown TrYangle starts playing, is one of those things that make it all worth it for us reviewers. Fuck the booklet. Wasn’t it all about the music after all?

#1 | Subscribe | Send to Friend | Print | Discipline | Report