TREPALIUM “H.N.P.” Album Review
TREPALIUM
Cédric “KK” Punda – Vocals
Harun Demiraslan – Guitar/keyboard
Nicolas Amossé – Guitar
Ludovic Chauveau – Base
Sylvain Bouvier – Drums
review by Shannah Tighe
@Shannuhxo
TRACKLIST
1. Heic Noenum Pax
2. Prescription Of Crisis
3. Slave The World
4. Order The Labyrinth
5. Insane Architect
6. Let The Clown Rise
7. I Was
8. The Worst Fiend
9. Raining Past
10. I’m Broken (Pantera cover)
It’s been a while since my last review but I’m pretty excited to write one about a band that I’m just now discovering. I love foreign bands because a lot of people haven’t heard of them and it’s always fun giving music suggestions to people! This album is called HNP by the French death metal band, Trepalium, released on Season of Mist records. For fans of: Gojira, Behemoth.
The title of this first track is a Latin phrase Heic Noenum Pax; Pax meaning “peace”. But I couldn’t find a real definition of Heic Noenum anywhere. I’m assuming that’s what the acronym album name stands for. The introduction of this one is very eerie with gang vocals fading into some stellar guitar riffs and drumming and how it transitions in the beginning. I absolutely love the vocals on this one. It also slows down about midway through with some creepy low speaking/growling lyrics backed up by a more upbeat guitar riff. You might think that sounds bad, but it sounds fantastic. That builds you up into a guitar solo or two with some awesome drumming!
Next is Prescription of Crisis, this song starts out pretty groove like with a hint of progressive. The vocals go great with this and I love how you can hear his accent with the growling of this song. This song pretty self-explanatory, lyrics wise.
Slave to the World also starts a bit groove/progressive like. I absolutely love the intro riff and it’s probably my favorite off of the album. It continues throughout the whole song and it definitely makes me wanna dance. This song reminds me a little bit of Gojira. The long growl towards the end of this song is fantastic and so is the guitar solo that follows. This would have to be my favorite off the album.
Order the Labyrinth has my second favorite intro. (It was a really tough toss up between this and Slave To The World.) This intro extends into a couple of guitar solos for about a minute and a half that builds you into Cedrics vocals. It’s nicely done. This slows down a bit to a part with some groovy guitar riffs. I also really dig the bass in this song, especially in the last minute.
Insane Architect starts out with a catchy as hell intro and the rest of the song is pretty much the same. This is one of the more distinct songs on the album. I love the chanting growl in this song during the “chorus” but him low-talking is beautiful sounding with the effects in this. Kind of eerie but I love it. There’s also a really nice and progressive guitar solo mid-song. I’m starting to wonder why they’re listed as Death Metal though, definitely a bit more groove.
Let the Clown Rise gets super heavy, super quick. His growls are deeper in this one and this is probably one of the heavier songs on the album. But after reading the lyrics to this song and listening to the vocals, I can tell why they’re also classified as death metal. Not a band combo. They make it work.
I Was is their next song. I absolutely love all of their intros and how they are the definition of “groove” (in my opinion). They’re all very catchy and they’re pretty different from one another. The bass in this song sounds so good especially when the song slows down a bit in the middle. I love the multiple guitar solos going on at once. Definitely keeps your ears entertained and pleased. Not overdone and the hint of growls makes it sound sexy as hell.
The Worst Fiend starts out fast, groovy and a bit heavy which is fine by me. Not my favorite on the album but it’s still pretty good. At some parts of the song, the vocals remind me of Randy Blythe a little bit, which I am completely content with. They sound great. The guitar solo in this song is probably the most distinct and ear catching on the album.
Raining Past starts out kinda mellow and slow., even when the drums chime in. It’s a nice change and unexpected when you listen the first time through. Although the speed stays kind of slow for this band, it does get a bit heavier. This one is only a little over 2 minutes long and it’s without vocals. It’s a nice intermission into the last song. I have a soft spot for bands that throw tracks like these on their albums.
Last but not least, I’m Broken. The mellow intermission from the last song didn’t last long when this groovy intro hits you. The only world that pops into my head is “sexy”. I love, love, love, their guitarists work on this album. Of course they wouldn’t leave you without a nice guitar solo in their last song. Very well done and this one reminds me a bit more of Behemoth than the rest of the songs do. The last 30 seconds are just the intro, fading out. It’s a clean way to end the album. But it wasn’t the heaviest.
So in conclusion, I was able to discover a really great band that I will definitely be listening to more than once. This band had their sound down pat knew exactly how to piece it all together without it being too much or too inconsistent. This album flowed awesome and they kept their sound without making it too choppy and all over the place. You can tell they have influences of other bands in their music but that does not make you forget who the band is themselves. 9/10.
http://www.klonosphere.com/trepalium/
http://www.facebook.com/TREPALIUMBAND
http://www.myspace.com/trepal
About the Author
Denise Borders 39, Los Angeles. Denise founded PWV in 2008 and remains the primary manager and photographer/videographer. She is not secretly obsessed with Joey Cape.
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