Seeing as how I never thought this album would come out, a mountain of anticipation had built up for this, so I decided to do a track review instead of the normal quick 2 minute write up, so here it goes. For those unfamiliar with the group, Triarii is a solo martial industrial project by Christian Erdmann that combines neoclassical and orchestral sounds with strong martial drum work and samples. The subject matter is a little on the risque side, so those of you who are overly PC may want to plug your ears for this one.
Here it goes.
Monstranz:
The track begins with an orchestra pit warming up, complete with audience chatter and the papers of attendees shuffling in the faint background. Over the next 80 seconds the ensemble slowly begins to conform to the same on-key pitch and instantly it all ends, a moment of silence falls and in the blink of an eye the entire landscape is changed and instantly you are transformed into a scene from Triumph of the Will. With the entire orchestral backdrop in full effect it feels as if you are peering out an open window inside of a bomber airplane as it passes over the scar ridden battlefields of Europe. As the journey continues you are fed a healthy dose of choir singers in the far background, completing the entire WWII soundscape and just when you get comfortable, all goes quiet.
Emperor of the Sun:
Just like in the previous track the brief silence prior to the track is soon disrupted with samples of bombs exploding, intense horns and eerie choir singers. Once the mood has been established Christian's signature multilayer vocals kick in to complete the ongoing war that has erupted within the track. Much like in Europa, Rose 4 Rome and Ode to the Sun, Emperor of the Sun makes use of the screeching tire (?) sample that transitions into a wall of orchestral goodness. The lyrics covered in this track are similar in vein to We Are One, in that Christian spends most of the time labeling himself, i.e. "I am the king, I am the leader of heaven and hell", giving the lyrics an almost tyrannical aesthetic to them. As one of the three vocal tracks of this short release it is one of my more favorable tracks. Much like in Monstranz, the feeling of an aerial floating has continued to influence me the listener, giving me a higher more out of body sensation to the music's power.
Exile:
Now on for the title track, and unlike the previous two tracks Exile slows down the pace a bit by adding much more melodic synthwork and a steady softer martial drum beat throughout the entire track, all the while possessing the unexpected yet anticipatory high transitions in the music. Acting as a pallet cleanser of sorts, Exile's main job it seems is to remind the listener that war is not all about violence and bloodshed, but that there is a side of beauty to the bombing and bullets that make up the chaotic hellfire. While many of Triarii's most notable tracks are those with pulsating atmospheres and intense vocals and lyrics, it is tracks like Exile that set the listener up for such crescendos and without these softer pallet cleansers we would not be able to appreciate both the soft and militant side of Triarii.
Iron Fields:
With the mind fully returned to a peaceful place, it is time to get back to battle. The track begins with a wall of violin work perfectly placed between the steady thud of a perfect martial beat performed on deep bass drums. Once the mood has been established the song takes a twist with the addition of playful flutes, similar in vein of Victoria, and before you know it that booming voice is back, this time at a calmer more conversational pace in an almost Dead Man's Hill or Alle Sagen Ja fashion. Unlike Emperor of the Sun, Iron Fields is a much slower and softer paced track, even featuring faint clean backing vocals between the main lyrical portions of the song. There are absolutely no sudden highs or unexpected twists in this song, however there is a sneaky suspicion that this track may be leading up to a grand finale of sorts. For the usual Triarii listener this track may take a few listeners by surprise by how anticlimactic, yet interesting this track is.
Stadt Der Jugend:
As expected the bombastic bastard child we know as Triarii jumps back into gear and delivers a sample ridden track of something one may find in Across The Rubicon's closet. The orchestral feel of the outfit takes a back seat to a more digital sounding beat that provides a constant backdrop for the assorted sample speeches that occupy this track. While I am not entirely sure who is speaking, I can only assume the content is that of the Nazi regime, which gives the atmosphere a nostalgic and uneasy vibe to it, this is all positive by the way. After the first movement is done the orchestra jolts back to the forefront giving a perfect collaboration of the more synthetic beat and the organic feel of the orchestra, creating a wall of blitzkreig fashioned martial industrial. Images of perfectly sculpted Hitler-Jugend children danced in my head as if I were watching a propoghanda film from Goebbels himself. While I am not entirely sold on the beat that serves as the constant backbone of this track, the crescendos in this track are ungodly and bring back that feeling of soaring over Europe as explosions destroy the soft delicate crust below. As is Triarii's style right when you feel like you know what's coming next the track ends and you're left wondering what is around the corner.
Heimkehr:
And of course the next step in this aural march is another soft pallet cleanser, or is it? Starting off with more playful synthwork, the higher pitched sounds transition from one speaker to the next, weaving from your right hemisphere, to your core, to your left hemisphere, giving you the feeling that you are overlooking your entire fleet at a perched ground level, slowly overtaking the opposition. In comes the rhythmic drum beat, sounding strikingly like bombs sporadically exploding in the distance. The track is slowly turning into a rising buildup, with a steady stream of snare drums and choir singers, but what is different with this track is that there is something oddly missing from the track, and I don't necessarily mean this in a bad way, but it just feels like this track may have been left incomplete as so the listener could fill in the missing pieces and arrange their own portrait of the song in their minds, meaning the track is versatile enough to produce a different scenario for every listener. Much like I envisioned myself looking out to thousands of marching troops, perhaps other listeners will paint a different picture in their heads. With the track coming to a close it is anyone's guess how this all will end.
Solemn Vigil:
Unlike the previous tracks, Solemn Vigil's transition from the previous track is much more abrasive and intrusive, with loud church bells filling the opening seconds of the track, creating a constant pace for the song. Once the opening chants of the large church bells has lapsed, somber orchestral strings fill the air, and coupled with a fitting choir backing the track takes a depressing tone, one that is not really commonplace for Triarii. Christian's vocals come in, almost in vein to TriORE, recounting a message to that of a lost soldier in battle. This track took me most by surprise for the fact that the mood of the song is not that of a thriving martial war machine, but a serious and sincere attempt at recounting the upsetting reality of losing a loved one in battle. As the track progresses more orchestral pieces come into play and it almost gives the impression of a walking funeral procession or a military funeral being conducted before you. The overall theme of this song is not of war itself, and no true propaganda is expressed in this track, instead Christian simply speaks to a fallen soldier and praises his efforts. The track ends with one final aerial prospective transitioning the listener from one side of reality to the other, finalizing the entire ride on a melodic and balanced platform, and with that the church bells return, a strong wind is heard breezing through the soundscape and with one final strike of the bell the track concludes, as does the album.
Complaints? The only real complaints I have with this release is that I wish Christian mixed the vocal layering up a bit more on the vocal tracks. When you compare his other vocal songs you can notice a subtle change and it allows for each track to develop its own vocal vibe if you will, but on this one it felt like he kept the same presets and layering for all 3 tracks. Aside from that minor complaint I have nothing bad to say about Exile, except that I wish it were longer!
SHIT RATING: GOOD
