Big names don’t mean big wins.
When considerable heavyweights come together to work on a project, it’s almost expected that whatever they produce will be some type of opus of amazement. In the case of Tronos, some pretty big names came together—think Shane Embury of Napalm Death / Brujeria, Russ Russell of Absolute Power and Dirk Verbeuren of modern Megadeth BIG — to foster a sound that encompasses all of their other projects into some amalgam, while also being not really any combination of their outside talents.
Tronos have marked their particular style as “apocalyptic ambient psych doom metal” and on their debut record Celestial Mechanics, that becomes a pretty appropriate distinction. With the help of other namely special guests like Denis “Snake” Belanger of Voivod, Faith No More’s Billy Gould, Dan Lilker of Anthrax/S.O.D. and Erica Nockalls of The Proclaimers, Tronos made sure to stack up talent before appearing on the scene. But, did it aid in creating a lasting masterpiece? Not necessarily.
Sure, there are many moments on the record where the members’ instrumental prowess is apparent and appreciated. The slow riff buildup of opener “Walk Among the Dead Things” feels luring in its captivation, while the basslines on “Judas Cradle” do psych doom with a Sabbath-like tone. If we’re including vocals, “Voyeurs of Nature’s Tragedies” and “Beyond the Stream of Consciousness” are highest points on the record, blending orchestral and atmospheric timbres with the slight toughness that some of the other songs carry. That toughness isn’t all good, though. Outside of the wallop of drums in the beginning, “The Ancient Deceit” simply falls short from reaching its full hefty potential. “A Treaty with Reality” and “Johnny Blade” veer too close to the unperfected nu-metal line and “Premonition,” while at a slower tempo with a grunge feel, never quite hits its mark, either.
Celestial Mechanics isn’t terrible, but it does seem more like the sophomore release from a band that doesn’t include any contributions as high in the ranks at Tronos has. It’s important not to take the big names involved as an automatic pass for exceptional creations, but this is their first record, and Tronos will probably hone further in on their sound as they make more.
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