Album Review: Triskelyon – Downfall
Reviewed by Paul Hutchings
One of the biggest blessings about this album is that it is only 36 minutes long. That’s more than enough time to make your mind up on the debut album by these Canadian thrashers. Triskelyon sit very much in the style of Agent Steel, with the odd dash of Overkill and Testament. All songs and lyrics were written by guitarist and main driver, Geoff Waye. ‘Downfall’ includes three tracks from the band’s self-titled demo/EP and alongside Waye features drum programming by Raul Marques, vocals from Pete Healey, Marlee Ryley, Amanda Jackson, Des Mason and Ellim, as well as bass work from Dwayne Pike, Keith Jackman, and Darrin Pope.
It's a bit of a mish mash of contributors, and this is evident in the finished product. The delivery is okay, the pace frenetic and the riffs wash down. Unfortunately, there is a really disjointed feel to the album, and rather than flowing organically, it presents as a bit stunted and clunky. More importantly, the songs are forgettable, despite the obvious effort that has been invested.
The opening two songs are frenetic thrashers, and Healey gives a decent enough high-pitched performance. ‘Odyssey (Blessed by Steel)’ is the first of two tracks to feature Hyperia’s Marlee Ryley, whose band released ‘Silhouettes of Horror’ back in March. Ryley’s vocals are brutally aggressive, raging at high tempo and bring an urgency to the song. It’s a little over forced though and it makes for a quite challenging listen. Her other appearance is on ‘Apex Predator’, which starts at relentless speed. Ryley screams through her performance, opening with a bruising roar that gives way to another vicious song, full of heavy riffs and slicing guitar. The guitar work is top quality, despite the slightly anaesthetic style that pervades throughout the release. However, minutes after the song finished, it was difficult to remember what I’d been listening to, and that is the overall difficulty with this record.
Mason and Jackson bring a different, more theatrical delivery on ‘Wilful Ignorance’, but the song is a real mess, an aural assault that doesn’t hit any of the right buttons. Jackson’s soprano delivery contrasts with Mason’s lower levels, but the two voices really don’t work together.
‘A Time of War’ has Healey back on the mic, but it’s a real struggle to cope with his straining vocals over a rather weak song. Jackson brings her second vocal performance on ‘Balance of Terror’ but it doesn’t impress despite her best efforts. But it’s not the worst. The band save that til last with a truly dreadful cover of Billy Idol’s ‘Nobody’s Business’, vocalist Ellim (not a clue) doing a great impression of a cat with its paw caught under the door.
Luckily, as I said at the start, ‘Downfall’ isn’t a long album. And that’s probably the saving grace, for the thought of a longer one is not one to contemplate.
