Metal maniacs, rejoice! I am proud to present to you: TRAGEDY AND TRIUMPH; hailing from the glory of Germany, performing Melodic Death Metal - on their debut album entitled: "Where Mountains Rise And Hearts Fall" (released June 18th, 2021).

Since formation in 2017; the duo in question have a single entitled: "Beneath The Howling Gate" (released June 8th, 2020), and this here debut album in their discography so far entitled: "Where Mountains Rise And Hearts Fall". 11 tracks ranging at around 53:42, TRAGEDY AND TRIUMPH arrange an intricately designed formula on some heavy-hitting Melodic Death Metal developments.

Opening up with this majestic but acoustical intro; "Heldengrab" begins the record with tapping  and flickering strums with this feel-good harmony to start things off rightly. Adding enchanting hums and mountainous strife to boot, advancing forward onto the more ripping maelstrom momentum within "I, Triumphant". Striking with blistering but boisterously bouncy riffs, revelling with amplified adrenaline and guttural grunts - TRAGEDY AND TRIUMPH bombastically craft an enriching execution on AMON AMARTH like melody. The drums hammers speakers with pummelling meatiness while the bass distils with sturdy thuds within trembling reverberation, amongst a towering yet monstrous rumble of flamboyant heaviness. "Five Arrows" immediately brings out the Melodic Death Metal with full force impact. Arming a brimming dose on jumpy punchiness, weighty tightness & strong rhythms that pound the Earth with groovy heft.

Consisting of Marius Berendsen who performs on all instruments; the multitasking soloist does an impeccably grand job on managing everything in the same vein of Mount Doom legends incredibly well, the drums clobber eardrums with battering calamity while rambunctiously piledriving with volatile smacks & stompy/steely precision...while the bass injects an infectiously venomous slab of some solid thumpiness which audibly grinds dexterously with rampantly rompy savagery. The guitars fret with rapidly swift nimbleness while this quintessential virtuosity on ruthless pursuits ramify with slaying potency, amongst a fluidly polished sound production that's raw & tastefully rough.

"Where The Fires March Victorious" elements at a trailblazing vibrancy on steamrolling pandemonium which soars with monolithic tempos, fierce firepower expertise & chiselling grovels for good measure. The drums fabricate a hasteful surge on concretely gritty strides that stridently slam with smacking perseverance while persistently stampeding with rampaging drum cymbals in which wander with impulsing fury, organic substance & throttling pace. While vocals showcase this throaty raspiness on shouty versatility, vehemently gravitating ferociously with radically wicked tonalities that ravenously motor with snappy perseverance & skill. "Beneath The Howling Gate" articulates at a berserking hybrid in experimental but listenable mayhem, salubriously raging with profusely robust synergies on systematic empowerments in which proficiently scour with sonically seamless revs that snare with chugging frolics and galloping laceration as killer maelstrom portrays with zealous panache that swerves with prodigiously prestigious distortion - flaring with gnarly grumbles for good measure.

"Of Mountains And Wardrums" thunders with piercing tears that slashes with relentless exhilaration where sulfurous chunkiness implements crunchy extremity, the guitars are most notably memorable here as they're just intensely loud and screeching that make for an utmost mesmerising tone while immensely hardened beats bang with wrathful intent. I must not forget  Raphael on vocals; the frontman excels with growling chords all throughout the record, attributing distinctively as distinguished hurls that bark mightily while bleeding ferociously and effectively. "In Pride And Sorrow" belts a bruising but visceral wallop to it, aggressively integrating an impressive amount of some spicy tremolo pickings that transcend into gripping bolts of blasting licks at Marius' disposal. I can't help but give this man continuous credit for the stunning representation of solo songwriting that makes AMON AMARTH quaver in their boots...at least after the "Berserker" record. (while great it was, I find "Where Mountains Rise And Hearts Fall" a little bit more impressive for the solo fact alone).

"Hymn For A Newborn Star" starts off with this atmospheric ambience while more of those rhythmic strums relish with feverishly epic portrayal, unearthing this diligently detailed but catchier side to it as snappy quirkiness revolves around a cruising instrumentation that penetrates speakers and eardrums with anthemic resonance while elegantly lavishing with rich yet spellbinding rituals that will transfix your metal hunger exquisitely. The titular track spirals with mythical embrace while overall concluding it with the finale epic "Lost War" which closes gracefully with this mellifluous pianist finisher for good and slightly somewhat melancholic euphony which is a nice touch for an album such as this.

Bottom line; TRAGEDY AND TRIUMPH may not be as big as the Mount Doom extraordinaries, however...if anything were to happen to them, I am certain Marius and Raphael are more than willing to take the crown and the ring away from them. "Where Mountains Rise And Hearts Fall" is an angelically sublime yet sinister record that compels me to say that they most surely outdone themselves with this for a debut, an enjoyably entertaining discovery for sure which deserves spinning & replaying a good handful of times. Do check it out if you crave more material that's similar to the obvious Vikings! Sköll!!