TRISTANIA Completes Recording New Album

Bassist Ole Vistnes of Norwegian metallers TRISTANIA has issued the following update:

"As you maybe know (Twitter, anyone?),we have been busy in the studio, and we are now hours away from being finished with the recording of the new album.

"We started out six weeks ago in Oslo. Me and Anders [Høyvik Hidle, guitar/vocals] then spent three days in a project studio with [producer] Waldemar [Sorychta], just going through all the arrangements, details and putting final touches to the songs. One of the songs was not complete, and together with Waldemar we co-wrote the rest of the song. It's called 'Vulture' and will be one of the heavier tracks on the album! Then, after three days, we moved on to Tanken Studio in Sandvika outside Oslo to record the drums.

"Tanken Studio is run by Fredrik Wallumrød, drummer of norwegian rock act EL CACO. He was engineering the drum recordings, which happened in an awesome huge round room that used to be an actual tank (hence the name...) for color in clothes production. Me, Anders and Tarald [Lie, drums] spent seven great days there. We instantly hit it off with Fredrik, who is an outstanding engineer/producer, but most of all an incredible nice guy!

"After Tarald was done with his recordings, we set the course westward, to Stavanger. There we rented a room in what used to be one of the finest studios around back in the Ninetees. Now there is no commercial studio there, but the room acoustics and sound preparations are the same, and the room sounds amazing for recording. We set up some of our own equipment, and some rented, high-class equipment, and we were set for two weeks of guitar/bass/violin/Østen [Bergøy, clean vocals] recording. This is where Pete Johansen did his work. It was really nice for me to meet him for the first time, and it was really enjoyable to listen to him and Anders reminisce about the old times and share stories and memories of the tours and recordings.

"Many beers, cigarettes and pizza slices, and two weeks later we were bound for Oslo once more. This time for the grand finale. Vocals.

"We did all the vocal recordings in Amadeus Studio in Oslo, with engineer Sigmund Vegge. As an outstanding tech, engineer, musician and friend, he had all the vocals recorded with a smile.

"What now remains is for Waldemar to mix the album. He will do this during March, and we will most likely have a finished TRISTANIA album in our hands by Easter."

Other songtitles set to appear on the new TRISTANIA CD include "Patriot Games", "Year of the Rat", "The Emerald Piper" and "Sirens".

TRISTANIA last year announced the addition of guitarist Gyri Losnegård to the group's ranks.

The band played a couple of shows last summer with guest vocalist Kjetil Nordhus (ex-GREEN CARNATION, TRAIL OF TEARS) filling in for Østen Bergøy, including last year's Wacken Open Air festival, which was held July 30 - August 1, 2009 in Wacken, Germany

TRISTANIA in 2007 announced the addition of Italian singer Mariangela "Mary" Demurtas to the group's ranks.

The band's last album, "Illumination", was released in January 2007 via SPV. The CD was recorded at Woodhouse Studios in Hagen, Germany with producer Waldemar Sorychta (LACUNA COIL, TIAMAT, GRIP INC.).

Professionally filmed video footage of TRISTANIA performing the new song "The Emerald Piper" at last year's Wacken Open Air festival can be viewed below.