Tr3nity - The Cold Light Of Darkness

Year of Release: 2002
Label: Cyclops
Catalog Number: CYCL 111
Format: CD
Total Time: 65:32:00

Based on the work of Pink Floyd and Genesis, Tr3nity has left the trail for a band and has developped into a recording project. Being the work of Rob Davenport and Paul Gath, The Cold Light Of Darkness offers a concept piece based on child abuse and neglect but also on drug abuse which occurred in Rob's life. Both his niece and nephew suffered from drug addiction and in a way opened the eyes of Rob who simply needed to write a concept piece about this. Originally titled A Spoonful Of Sugar as this was the only thing his niece and nephew would sometimes eat for breakfast, this project kicked off in January 1998!

Opening track "Eyes Of A Child" to me sounds like a cross between early Marillion, early Arena and the commercial side of Mr. So & So. Especially, the chorus is very strong, whilst I would have wanted to hear the synth solo to be played a little faster, a little more vibrant than the "note per note" delivery we get here. "The Mask" comes close to the kind of music Belgian band Eko were playing years and years ago, being a polished rock sound surrounded by beautiful guitar licks, built around a melodic vocal line. The atmosphere of a song like "Into The Dark" makes me think of ... The Butterfly Ball album as it would fit in perfectly, except for the lyrics of course. I can easily hear Ronnie James Dio singing this one. Also holds some truly amazing synth work that fits perfectly in the song and alternates wonderfully with the guitar. "Which Way" continues in a more commercial vein with a guitar that sometimes sounds like it's Mark Knopfler (or that guy from the band Flasher) who's guesting. I also love the backing vocals, which really lift this song to another dimension, although personally I would have placed these vocals much thicker in the mix. Towards the end of the song, when the rhythm dies away, the guitar turns towards David Gilmour, whilst in the background you can hear sequencers and loops in the style of early Jean-Michel Jarre. The end of the song sounds like an alternative version of "Shine On You Crazy Diamond," so lovers of that classic track should definitely check out Tr3nity!

The four final tracks on this album are grouped into what's called "The Exposure Suite." As is often the case with concept albums, every little detail is carefully prepared and in the studio extra elements and details are added in order to enhance the feel of the album. Here in "Help Me" we hear the ticking of a clock, as if to stress the fact that time is running out if no help is given to the fictitious character of Cathy, who is trying to take her own life. Just accompanied by solitary piano "Is There A Paradise" delivers a very strong statement, although I would have added cello and/or a small violin section to keep the atmosphere intimate yet more elaborate. The final song "Can't You See" opens with synthetic recorder, which would have sounded so much better if the real thing would have been used. Sometimes these things I simply can't understand because there's plenty of people out there who can play a mean bit of recorder and who would have jumped at the chance of being on an album like this. I keep on saying this: look around you and you'd be amazed at how many people know how to play an instrument. Simply ask them. All they can do is say no or YES! The song itself is based on an uplifting rhythm with a great sounding synth in the intro. It almost has a gospel feel to it as the main theme goes on and on until the bitter end.

To me this album comes in the same league as the superb A Promise Of Peace by Lee Saunders, which also is a truly wonderful album very few people have ever heard about. I hope the same situation doesn't happen with Tr3nity but with a subject which is so much of present interest why doesn't the band/project contact the national institution which talks about drug prevention in schools. Maybe their album can be used as a tool. You should never focus on the prog world alone, my dear friends, as this is a world few people actually visit, unless of course you're a prog addict like all the lunatics who come and read this review on these pages.

If you want to hear for yourself, then I suggest you surf to the band's website where you can find both MP3 and Realaudio files of all the songs on the album. Enjoy !

Tracklisting:
Eyes Of A Child (15:12) / The Mask (5:57) / Into The Dark (9:40) / Which Way? (13:07) / The Exposure Suite: The Film (5:40) / Help Me (4:16) / Is There A Paradise? (3:51) / Can't You See? (7:44)

Musicians:
Chris Campbell - vocals
Rob Davenport - guitars
Paul Gath - keyboards
Rolf Smith - drums

Discography:
The Cold Light Of Darkness (2002)
Precious Seconds (2004)

Genre: Progressive Rock

Origin UK

Added: July 30th 2002
Reviewer: John "Bobo" Bollenberg

Artist website: www.tr3nity.co.uk
Hits: 1950
Language: english