Trysth – Soulchambers

From Sofia, Bulgaria, comes a heavy and cathartic band that takes their time to develop a good ambience, to deliver its message through dark soundscapes. Despite being formed in 2005, this is their first and only album to date, released in 2014 (actually they have a second one, but it’s a reworked version of this one). What do they have for us on this album? Let’s find out.

This is a post-metal record with huge emphasis on the metal part. Rather than setting up the same atmosphere as bands like Isis, Russian Circles, or Pelican, who have a melodic and eerie side, the doom and sludge influences is what sets Trysth apart. Even songs like “Sever The Stars”, that revolve around melody a lot, have this heavy feel due to their powerful bass lines and how clear the instruments sound like. It’s something continuous, ever-developing, but don’t expect a grandiose atmosphere that makes you think of waves and wind. It’s raw. The mix grants the album with a natural feel, especially on the drums, which are so beautifully crafted. Kudos to Georgi Yoshovski, the drummer, and Vasko Raykov, who produced the album alongside the band.

Setting aside the post-rock influences, a lot of similar bands might have worked well on the idea to differentiate themselves from all the other bands in the genre, but miserably failed in practice, due to the fact their rhythm and riffs do not stand out in most of the songs. I’m not against minimalism at all, but bands like Lycus pull this off way better. The good news is that the potential this band has is tremendous.

The tracks that stand out the most to me are “Descend, Spine Of Snakes and Weeping Orbits”. Not that I’m not into long songs, I’m a big ambient fan, but I don’t think Trysth have mastered their use of repetition and subtleties thus far. They’ve got lost along the way, but they are lucky their path isn’t over yet.