GIOTOPIA: if it sounds theatrical because of the name, wait until you dive into the music. This epic project tells the tale of heroes, kings, queens, wizards, demons, and sorcerers battling it out across a musical landscape in a trinity of albums. The journey ends here. After the release of A Fantasy Tale Of Music parts I and II, Trinity Of Evil is the concluding album.

The first parts of the trilogy tell a story, detailing the plot of Abaddon, Destroyer of Worlds, an evil demon and a servant of the Devil himself, to open the Gates of Hell and declare war on the realm of Giotopia. In order to save their beloved land from utter destruction, seven forgotten heroes must drink from the Fountain of Youth and do battle with the forces of darkness. Even after Abaddon's defeat, other threats crop up in part II, including a battle between elves and witches and the struggle for a peaceful grove. While it appears as though peace has re-entered the land at the end of Part II, Part III, Trinity Of Evil, definitely brings more good vs evil struggles to the magical realm of Giotopia.

The opening track is a narration. It begins like an epilogue for part II, declaring peace in the land a new king and queen who are crowned after declaring their love for each other. Some villains are defeated, and some antiheroes are living in isolation. It sounds like straight narration until the narrator pulls an "... or are they" and the music picks up. As the guitars soar, the enemies are laid out: the son of Abaddon who is raising a fiery hellscape to engulf Giotopia in flames. With a vengeful witch and an evil sorcerer also hellbent on destruction, the album has its "trinity of evil".

The album wastes no time introducing us to our villains. "Son of Abaddon" roars in with strong guitars and an echoing voice that not only literally introduces us to Abaddon's spawn, but musically paints the evil as a conglomerate, making the listener picture a lava monster or a hivemind of bats or demons. Similarly, the evil wizard's cackle in "Bad Blood Resurrection" and the squealing resurrection of the witch are spot-on, reminding me of NIGHTWISH's theatrical performance in their song "Scaretale". The slow song "Forever Bound" is more wrenching when you understand the story behind it: the dying leader of the short-necked people is leaving this world in agony with his close friend by his side, singing a duet as he fades away about how he fought for valor. Not only are the lyrics and vocal performances invoking the tragedy, but the instrumentals are also, swelling with intensity as the song goes on.

"Princess Of Ice" is when the heroes begin planning for battle. The tempo picks up and the song has clear major chords giving the listener hope the heroes will triumph. Rather than being narrated by her creators, the Ice creation herself, made to take out the fiery demon and his armies, explains her own story in an operatic soprano as more people come into the chorus to cheer her on.

If you're not too familiar with the album's storyline, "Deceiving Embrace" is one of the more powerful tracks on the album, especially with the strong vocal performances and intense instrumentals. The instrumental break is full of tense drum rolls and hopeful-sounding strings before the final part of the song roars in. Unfortunately, the rest of the album contains spoilers, so I'm not going to focus on tone and story. Just know that the final tracks are what you can expect from a crushing crisis, scrambling climax, and thrilling resolution, both narratively and musically.

If you like older NIGHTWISH, especially if you're fond of the Anette Olsen days, you will enjoy the music. It's theatrical and harkens back to older symphonic metal nicely. While I personally wish they would take the music further: add more bells, whistles, and go as bombastic, cosmic, and experimental as humanely possible, I adore the concept! As a fantasy nerd, I want more: concept art, maybe even a novel or a comic series. I want to see what the short-necked people look like, or Abaddon, or what elves and witches look like in the Giatopia universe! However, it helps if you have an idea of the story before diving in, so go over to the band's webpage and check out the world they've built before throwing your headphones on. Plus, go on to YouTube if you want to see how much fun the band had putting together this album; it's a treat!