Whatever happened to Triosphere? It’s a question I genuinely asked myself many times over the twelve years since their last album ‘The Heart of the Matter’ was released. Occasional activity checks proved that they had not broken up, but when ‘Monster’s Ball’, the first single of ‘Oceans Above, Stars Below’, was released back in March, that was still the most pleasant surprise of the year for me. After all, Triosphere is the best band to emerge from the European metal scene over the last two decades, and their excellent songwriting craft is still front and center on ‘Oceans Above, Stars Below’.

For those unfamiliar with the band, Triosphere is actually somewhat difficult to categorize. Their riff work comfortably puts them in the metal realm, and has a strong sonic connection to the progressive metal scene. But the band’s dedication to exquisite melodies and creating space for the incredible vocals of singer/bassist Ida Haukland – whose voice doesn’t appear to have aged at all in the last twelve years – almost feels closer to hard rock. On the other hand, the guitar work of Marius Bergesen and Tor Ole Byberg is reasonably dense, especially when Haukland isn’t singing, and their guitar arrangements are downright spectacular.

Given that it has been twelve years since ‘The Heart of the Matter’, it’s remarkable how little Triosphere’s core sound has changed. The songwriting has been tightened up a bit, but the formula still consists of intense, quasi-proggy riffs, massive guitar harmonies and huge, hooky choruses. These elements existed before, but I have yet to hear a band combine them the way Triosphere does. That is exactly why they still sound fresh all these years later. The highly dynamic nature of their songwriting – from the borderline thrash of opener ‘Of Tyrants’ to the ballad ‘Encore’ – keeps it fresh throughout the album’s fifty-minute runtime.

Picking singles seems to be a challenge for bands and labels these days, but whoever picked the ones for ‘Oceans Above, Stars Below’ did a great job representing the album’s scope. ‘Monster’s Ball’ and the title track are textbook Triosphere, ‘Of Tyrants’ is surprisingly aggressive, and ‘Shorelines’ a strong semi-ballad. My favorite song here is actually the dramatic ‘Through the Phantom Wall’, which covers the full dynamic range of both Haukland’s voice and the Triosphere sound, and has a few cool songwriting twists. The equally progressive and theatrical ‘Orpheus’ Bane’ is another absolute highlight, as is the impeccably layered melodic masterpiece that is ‘Lightning in a Bottle’.

Any time a band as good as Triosphere releases their first album in a long time, the question is whether said album can live up to the expectations. Triosphere did not just meet those expectations; they exceeded them. ‘Oceans Above, Stars Below’ is filled to the brim with excellent songs that are catchy enough for the hard rock crowd, yet subtly intricate enough to please people with a more progressive inclination, and it all sounds like it comes so naturally for the band. This is a must-hear for any fan of guitar-based music with fantastic vocals, and a serious album of the year candidate.

Recommended tracks: ‘Through the Phantom Wall’, ‘Lightning in a Bottle’, ‘Orpheus’ Bane’