Andrew Danso

Triptykon appears to have identity crises. The project has untested personnel, claims of experimentation, one would think new ground to follow aloft the name much bigger than the project itself. Thomas Gabriel Fischer. Triptykon is his understudy that was announced following the departure from Celtic Frost, and without his well-documented presence, Eparistera Daimones would be torn to shreds with a criticism based essentially on ripping off Monotheist. So, how does one make fair foundations to criticise Triptykon on? If this is the pure successor to Monotheist then why on earth didn’t Fischer simply reassemble Celtic Frost? How can you justify labelling a brand new project with precisely the same envisionment? This is Monotheist Mark II, so why not just call it that? It simply feels hungover, and otherwise exploitive. The saving grace perhaps, Fischer has came out and gave us the warning we so desperately needed, “Triptykon will sound as close to Celtic Frost as humanly possible”. Giving Triptykon an identity when the disc spins though, is more than simple, and the critic should only be asked of what’s heard in front of him. My notes read, Celtic Frost. Monotheist. Different personnel.

And with that, underlining what content is in Eparistera Daimones is very predictable. There’s the odd deviate off the trail from Monotheist to Triptykon’s credit, in adding darker ambient sections to the music, that can at times feel out of place (a bit 80’s too), but otherwise add a different flavour to their sound. Apart from that, this is very much in the same kettle of fish that Monotheist swam in. Expect more of the same.

That does not necessarily mean an entirely bad thing (Monotheist has been a personal favourite since it’s inception in 2006), but perhaps does show a lack of ambition, in starting a new project just to showcase a sequel intended for the same audience; you only need to head to MySpace to find copycats, and without Fischer present, Triptykon may as well live in those same webpage’s. Not that the Celtic Frost legend doesn’t know how to piece together his own music, he just did it much better in 2006. Such a wasted opportunity.

6.5/10 Metal-Mayhem UK