Trillium: Tectonic (Frontiers)

It’s been seven years since the debut album from Trillium, the symphonic metal band built around vocalist Amanda Somerville (Avantasia, Kiske-Somerville) and guitarist/bassist/producer Sander Gommans (ex-After Forever). They’re finally back with a new Trillium album, titled Tectonic.

Given Gommans’ past work, as well as his songwriting and production role, it should come as no surprise that Trillium bears a strong resemblance to After Forever. And while it’s not as over the top orchestral as Nightwish, it is at least in the same ballpark. As fans of Avantasia and Kiske-Somerville know, Amanda Somerville has an incredible vocal presence, and she really shines here. It helps that the songwriting on Tectonic is so much more memorable than the songs on Alloy (which wasn’t bad). The songs are very catchy, very melodic, not overly reliant on symphonic elements, and have a strong metal heft to them.

Memorable, catchy songs, a great melodic/symphonic metal sound and powerhouse vocals…Tectonic has it all. The anthemic “Stand Up” and “Fighting Fate” as well as the dramatic “Fatal Mistake” are highlights, but the whole album is quite strong. Fans of Somerville’s previous work will love this one, and Tectonic is bound to appeal to fans of Nightwish, Revamp, Epica and The Dark Element as well.