DoktorG Posted July 30, 2023 Share Posted July 30, 2023 Triquetra Myriad Vision Intro 3:01 Waking Bliss 8:56 Dystopia 9:07 Escape From The Withered Temple 8:35 Astrophobia 7:01 Shadows 9:32 Cloud Gatherer 9:51 Metal Serpent 7:37 Myriad Vision 9:52 The twins Reinartz return with their third album on Suntrip, Myriad Vision. Darkness! This is apparent from the off with an ambient intro that could be an interlude on a doom/stoner metal album. Distorted guitar sounds wind in a dark ambience with spacescapes hulking in the background. From there we encounter a Triquetra we didn't know, or didn't quite know. This is quite a bit darker, less melodic, less acidic than their prior recordings, only gradually becoming Goan towards the end. One general comment: Triquetra have upped their production game and this is a good sounding record. Intro The intro with dissonant doom metal guitar echoing into the gloom announces the dark atmosphere of this album. A moody and intriguing introduction. Triquetra has left their acid Goa roots behind it seems. Waking Bliss It is a strange title for a restrained and dark track that is quite hypnotic and trancy and not full of blissful melodies. I like it, but this is more minimalist than their prior work. B Dystopia This track announces its heavy techno intentions from the outset with sweeping minor chords, becoming more and more acidic as it goes along. Lives up to its title, this one does. B Escape From The Withered Temple This charmingly named track has a really nice stumping beat and bass with more tribal and didge sounds than the prior tracks. Really good sound in this track, it can indeed suck you in to a temple in the jungle at night. Excellent drones in the background and nice percussion. A all the way for this track. Astrophobia What's with the names on this album? Astrophobia has heavy techno residue in its distorted bass and kick and stuttering eerie keys. One of the heavier tracks from the twins. B Shadows Shadows goes more Goa with propulsive bass and trippy warbles. Fluttering flute comes in later to delightful effect. I can't help it, I think Triquetra are better at these tracks than the heavier ones, though "Shadows" is a bit repetitive. A- Cloud Gatherer "Anticipated, exterminated" goes the sample in this track - another dystopian vibe. The track, however, later goes more Goa with some building pads and acid melodies - it ends up a bit more energetic and uplifting than most of the prior tracks. It reminds me a bit of Sandman or Green House Effect. Nice track with a beautiful ending. A- Metal Serpent This track is more traditional trance - ok, but a bit predictable. B Myriad Vision Probably the best track on the album for me, this is Goa all the way and has a beautiful epic lead melody that could play on all day and night. A+ Let me make it clear; for me Triquetra are one of the best things to happen in Goa trance in a long time. These guys channel the creative but atmospheric spirit of Goa like hardly anyone else today. Indeed, in terms of acid 303 frenzy, they are in a league of one. On this third album Triquetra challenges their audience with several dark and heavy tracks, before their love for Goa takes hold and the album ends on a classic Goa note. I personally think that Triquetra are better at the Goa stuff, but perhaps that is just me? For me, this album is a bit of a mixed bag. I salute the experiment, but I'm not sure it is fully successful. There is a clutch of good tracks here nevertheless: "Escape from the Withered Temple", "Shadows", "Cloud Gatherer", and "Myriad Vision" are all worth a listen or twelve. On a whim I put on Triquetra's first album Ecstatic Planet and was struck by the relative freshness of the more melodic and inspired tunes on this first album; I definitely preferred it, even if the production was not as slick. There's not a single track on this latest third album that compares with the epic "Gargantuan Tribes" from the first album to my ears. This does not mean that this third album is not good; it is just that here Triquetra embrace darkness. There's more - Triquetra have also released a vinyl 12" called Access Denied which I will review separately. ~*~ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tsotsi Posted September 17, 2023 Share Posted September 17, 2023 Nice review. I feel mostly the same way about the tracks here as you. Shadwows, Myriad Vision, escape from withered temple my favourites. A step away from their more tribal, spacey, organic album Human Control which I think is there best to date. But that album had more tracks so about the same % I feel are unique and A+ tracks. Gargantuan Tribes is indeed fantastic but the chaos of Homunculus made it my favourite from the album. Likewise on Human Control we got Future.exe and The Captain Is Dead which really stood out to me as well as the first 2 tracks. On the same note Shadows comes across as the most chaotic to me which makes it a favourite here. What I really appreciate is they have 3 strong albums, all distinct from one another but all distinctly Triquetra. The talent on these two is crazy and one of the artists where I can always feel the energy of their 'soul' / 'state of mind' / 'bodies' behind the tracks they make. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DoktorG Posted September 18, 2023 Author Share Posted September 18, 2023 Thanks Tsotsi. I probably should have mentioned "Human Control", which is for sure great, though in the past I preferred the first album for its infectious fun and spontaneity. I think this third album is the weakest so far, which is to say that it is still a solid work. I strongly agree that Triquetra is a talented act and I look forward to their future creations. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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