Triarchy - Broken Dreams (EP)

Though Triarchy formed in 2001, these Brazilians have managed to only come up with two songs since. That may sound a bit ridiculous, but the band sat dead in the water for a good portion of the past few years due to the departure of a few members and not being able to find suitable replacements. It wasn’t until 2004 that the band found themselves in a position to record some music. The result was 2005’s Broken Dreams EP, two tracks of high-quality doom death.

The bands plays a slow, haunting form of doom death with some very somber and melancholic orchestration. The production is excellent, with varying vocal styles and instrumentation mixing flawlessly. Vocal duties are split between Juliana Hernandes (clean) and Pablo Castelar (clean/death); typical of the genre, but executed very well. The guitars are heavy and melodic; the bass stands out from the mix, which adds an unconventional flare to the music. Subtle keyboard/piano work meanders throughout each song, creating nice textures that resonate with the lugubrious atmosphere of the short EP. The drums hold it all together and are fairly standard in style, though some double-bass does manage to work its way into the music, most notably on "Emotional Daze."

Both "Broken Dreams" and "Emotional Daze" follow a similar path of slow- to mid-paced doom metal punctuated by clean, sepulchral male singing, death metal growls and ethereal female vocals. The dynamics of the songs are bolstered by some stylistic shifts, albeit short, such as the solo and piano-driven breakdown in "Broken Dreams", or the more traditional death metal blast beats of "Emotional Daze."

With only two songs to base an opinion off of, it may not be indicative of what the future holds for Triarchy. But one can only assume the future is promising for this young band. You won’t find anything original on this EP, and those who’re not interested in this style of music won’t find anything here that will change their mind. But for those who do enjoy this style, what you will find is an excellent display of doom death, especially for a young band. Alongside some of the best of the genre, Broken Dreams is quite a worthy release. I sincerely hope the band gets a full-length out soon and it doesn’t take another four years for just two more songs.

Note: This review was written in 2005. Sadly, no recording updates have been issued by the band since that time.

Video: Broken Dreams
Audio: Broken Dreams, Emotional Daze

Website: http://www.triarchy.com.br
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/triarchy

Note: Many of these links are external. In time, they may become obsolete.