Ignoring the more epic connotations that go with naming their band after Poseidon’s weapon of choice, Sweden’s Trident instead employ the form of thrash- and death-influenced black metal currently saturating the scene. Debut World Destruction is filled to the brim with blinding blasts, neck-wrecking thrash passages and a harsh sense of urgency, creating a package that should make a strong first impression on fans of accessible and slightly polished black metal. However, delving below the surface reveals arrangements that falter in their attempts to be complex, resulting in an entertaining but often frustrating and forgettable listen.
Trident is comprised of five veterans of the Swedish black metal scene, including multiple members of Necrophobic and ex-Dissection guitarist Johan Norman (who played on the classic Storm of the Light’s Bane). The band’s collective history is apparent in their sound, as is a strong penchant for Absu-styled blackened thrash and death metal of the blistering, less slimy variety. Instead of going straight for the jugular à la Razor of Occam, the album starts with a bombastic intro of keys and drum rolls, attempting to build the mood before “Jaws of Satan (Spawns of Hell)” truly kicks off festivities. The song is fairly prototypical for what World Destruction has to offer: a mix of speed/tremolo picking and blast beats, with forays into melodic black metal and thrash terrain. Only “Black Velvet Wings” maintains a slower tempo, somewhat resembling the more plodding work of new millennium Dimmu Borgir. Unfortunately, like the album as a whole, most songs attempt to be more than they are, always having to include one more style or melodic variation. It is through this desire to do too much that the album loses focus, as Trident lack the ability to make the smooth transitions requisite of such compositions.
This is not to say that the entirety of World Destruction is bad; that is actually quite far from the truth. Most tracks contain at least a few killer passages, but only on the absolutely raging title track does everything really come together. With a chorus of brilliant Absu plagiarism, piles of skin-shredding tremolo riffs, and an overall sense of finality, “World Destruction” possesses the holistic quality that most of the album lacks. In addition, the clear-yet-heavy production is nearly ideal for the style, and the band members themselves can fuckin’ play. This is especially true of Jonas Blom’s drumwork and the very shred-able leads of guitarist Ewo Solvelius.
World Destruction is a lot like drunken sex: it can be a hell of a lot of fun, but after a while you just want the big ending. Part of you will desperately want to call Trident the morning after to arrange a follow-up to your initial affair, but a voice in the back of your head will be yelling at you to realize that things weren’t as pretty as the vodka made them seem. How much you heed this voice depends on how much you enjoy the more accessible side of modern black metal. Those who don’t hear this voice at all are apt to yell a big “What the fuck?!” at this review, but don’t blame me when the album gathers dust after a week of heavy rotation.
