Metal Allegiance Album: 10 Tracks Reviewed & Ranked
3. Triangulum (I. Creation II. Evolution III. Destruction)
Lead & Rhythm Guitars: Alex Skolnick Bass: David Ellefson Drums: Mike Portnoy Additional Lead Guitar: Misha Mansoor, Ben Weinman, Charlie Benante, Phil Demmel, Matthew K. Heafy & Ron Bumblefoot Thal Proof, if any were ever needed, that metal musicians can lay down some of the greatest instrumentals of all time across any genre, Triangulum strips away vocals for the sake of diving into an eight minute composition that intersects many previous band members into one hell of a high point on the album. This could've easily devolved into every player vying for their turn in the spotlight, but there's a surprising amount of melody that runs throughout, a touch of Portnoy's prog-rock influence popping up in some very poignant snare hits that then underpin the middle third of the track - one that goes absolutely insane with some stupidly fast sweep picking runs afterwards. Recording this must've been cause for gaping jaws across the board in the control room, and although the band have already released quite the chunk of behind the scenes footage, I'm sure everyone would love to simply just watch Portnoy's machine-gun double bass pedal pounding away underneath (at times) three intersecting guitar lines. Truly a monumental piece of musicianship, and proof metal bands should never shy away from letting their instrumentation take centre stage.
