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Darkest White is the seventh full-length from Norway's Tristania. If you aren't familiar with the band and the name and album title aren't enough of a clue, Tristania are a typical Gothic/Symphonic band that hit all the right notes. There's an equal amount of both male and female clean singing and harsh vocals, giving Tristania's music a classic "beauty and the beast" sound. The songwriting is loud and brash while at the same time melancholic and introspective. Many of the songs will remind you of other bands playing this style with dueling guitars and keyboards providing a foundation for some strong vocal work by all three singers. But Tristania also venture into some less familiar waters on songs like "Requiem," "Diagnosis" and "Lavender." These songs are little more laid back in tempo but more layered and rich in sound, not unlike Autumn's Altitude. Darkest White has no killer tracks (though no real weak spots, either), so it isn't likely to supplant anyone's favorite Gothic Metal album, but if you enjoyed the recent works by Delain, Epica, Imperia and the like, you'll hardly be disappointed.