TRISTANIA was a band that I used to consider as one of my all-time favorites back in the Vibeke Stene era. However, the dramatic shift in their style over the last couple of years since the departure of Stene and the arrival of the nice-looking new front girl Mariangela Demurta, made them somewhat less appealing to me.

Well, "Darkest White", compared to its predecessor "Rubicon", is pretty much the same thing; male vocals domination of the two outstandingly different vocalists Kjetil Nordhus and Anders Høyvik Hidle, additional soaring female vocals by Demurta, gothic and symphonic elements intertwining.. Yet this one is pretty much darker, and kind of heavier.

For me it was really hard to like this album at a first listening. It takes a couple of times to get used to the raw and harsh yet melancholic sound. Some tracks are quite plain and others get catchier the more you listen, such as the title track and "Himmelfall". It is in fact, this album is a good step further towards a better sound, since in my opinion, it takes a while for a band to fully adapt to a new singer.

I have to mention that I am in love with the disturbingly-gorgeous cover artwork. It pretty much reflects the gloominess within the album.