Tristitia

Crucidiction (Holy)
by Scott Hefflon

Blending Gothic sorrow, doomy darkness, and elements of black metal (not that the genres don’t overlap anyway), Tristitia stands apart from even the pioneers of genre bending. They’re slower. While that doesn’t sound significant in words, it sounds significant in composition. The guitar fills are similar to early Mercyful Fate, but that’s refreshing rather than derivative. The dreamwalking dual guitar leads flow smoothly into the heavy dirge rhythms, occasionally layered with classical orchestration or faux monk choirs. Slow, dark, and beautifully dreary.