Not knowing what to expect after Tom G. Warrior laid CELTIC FROST to rest, TRIPTYKON was born and released their ultra heavy, brutal, and doomy debut, Eparistera Daimones. Armed with a few tasty leftovers from the Eparistera recording session and adding a few live cuts equates to the well delivered Shatter EP.

Shatter starts off slow and doomy, the way you would expect this EP to be. The basic, but heavy drum beats with the sludgy bass of Vanja Slajh results in a depressing opening track, fused with the blessings of longtime friend, Simone Vollenweider, and her angelic voice. The heaviness is amplified in “I am the Twilight,” with CELTIC FROST inspired simplistic riffs, but achieving maximum brutality without the need for thrashy riffs or blast beats. These sludgy tunes would have fit very well with the entire feel of the Eparistera album, and “Crucifixus” is a somber and moody instrumental that fills the gap to segue into the live tracks. As “Circle of the Tyrants” is one of the most covered songs in metal history, this track, along with “Dethroned Emperor” is a must. Lending out his talents on the live version of “Dethroned Emperor,” is none other than the grim, frostbitten one, Nocturno Culto (DARKTHRONE), and he nails the vocals perfectly.

EP releases are usually teasers, and Shatter is just that. The next TRIPTYKON album will be highly anticipated, but this release should whet the appetite for now. There is no denying that TRIPTYKON is continuing where CELTIC FROST should have gone, and the music needs to be listened to at maximum volume to be fully enjoyed. (Century Media)

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