You gotta love a band like Trail of Tears. This little band from Norway has been around the extreme metal scene for about a decade now, and has gone through many line-up and stylistic changes, but they never fail to deliver quality product. Their latest Existentia is a solid follow-up to their recent Free Fall Into Fear, that one being a healthy collection of death, black, progressive, and gothic metal styles that made for one exciting and varied listen. Here on Existentia, we once again see the addition of some female vocals, courtesy of Emmanuelle Zoldan, who adds a great element into the mix between the dueling clean & growled vocals from Ronny Thorse and Kjetil Nordhus (Green Carnation).
The music on this release is pretty damn heavy, yet also very symphonic and progressive, with crushing guitar riffs, orchestral keyboards, and bombastic rhythms flying about the mix, offering up a fantastic musical accompaniment to the layers of vocal styles that permeate each song. All of the above can be heard on the killer "Venom Inside My Head", a real brusing metal number with plenty of class and catchy hooks, with Thorsen's venemous growls playing pefectly off Nordhus' more melodic sensibilities. Ethereal keyboard provide the calming backdrop on the otherwise violent metal attack of "Decadence Becomes Me", and all three vocalists take center stage on the dramatic rocker "Deceptive Mirrors".
Raging organ and driving guitar riffs propel the headbanging "She Weaves Shadows", and "The Closing Walls" sounds almost like a cross between Mercenary and My Dying Bride with its catchy hooks, bubbling synths, heavy guitars, and mix of clean & growled vocals. Guitarist Runar Hansen throws in some tasty licks and brutal riffs on the symphonic "As It Penetrates", a tune also noteworthy for Kjetil's gorgeous clean vocals and Frank Roald Hagen's stunning synth and piano work.
News has it that Trail of Tears have recently lost all of their members save for Ronny Thorsen, who has proclaimed to keep the band going and find all new musicians. Time will tell if this will happen and what the results will be, but if this is the swan-song for Trail of Tears, Existentia certainly sends them off with a bang.
Track Listing
1. Deceptive Mirrors
2. My Comfort
3. Venom Inside My Veins
4. Decadence Becomes Me
5. She Weaves Shadows
6. The Closing Walls
7. Empty Room
8. Poisonous Tongues
9. As It Penetrates
10. Shades Of Yesterday
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