Trail of Tears - Oscillation (2013)Release ID: 9738
First of all, let me just say (again) how amazing and painfully underrated this band is! Trail of Tears is a band that I regret waiting until only last year to check out. Their brand of extreme gothic metal has struck me as much as other modern legends like the thrashy metalcore of Trivium and the epic deathcore of Lorna Shore. Trail of Tears started off as a mournful gothic melodeath band with the operatic Helena Iren Michaelsen (later temporarily joining Sahara Dust (Epica)). Then the gothic side took a haunting symphonic turn in A New Dimension of Might with the rock-on Cathrine Paulsen. The next two releases had a greater emphasis on melodeath with male vocals by Kjetil Nordhus (also in Green Carnation), though one of those releases, Existentia brings back female singing in a few tracks, sung by Emmanuelle Zoldan (Sirenia (as a session member, later full-time). Finally, Cathrine returns for a perfect one-two punch of albums, and Oscillation is one of those albums! Sadly it ended up becoming their swansong release because the internal conflicts that decimated the band's lineup before the release of Existentia happened again, this time between Thorsen and Paulsen with her partner guitarist Bjørn Erik Næss by her side. With that, drummer Cato Jensen, and the band leaving Napalm Records for Massacre, the band fell apart and was no more.
Oscillation can very well be the perfect ending statement. The deathly symphonic gothic metal sound has been nailed down in the writing Ronny Thorsen and Paulsen. Pretty much everything they've had in the music and lyrics has been delivered smoothly. Darkness, heaviness, catchiness... All to make their extreme gothic metal sound the way it's meant to be! If it's possible for the band see the future and witness the devastating tail end of production in advance, they've done it. And when the sweet beauty comes in towards the end, it is part of the farewell they would sing to their fans.
It starts with "Waves of Existence", a metal pounder right off the bat. Excellent solid production here! The atmosphere is as bleak and cold as the album cover by Jan Yrlund, stunningly resembling that of Rammstein's Rosenrot. Everything this album has is given a sneak peek. Ronny's growling fury is in perfect balance with Cathrine's operatic drama. You can't deny the remorse that comes from the lyrics, especially reminds us that "Nothing lasts forever..." Melancholic doom covers "Scream Out Loud" with Cathrine's vocal emotion in full display. She unleashes her feelings of anger and pain out loud. "Crimson Leads on the Trail of Tears" can be considered the band's theme song, though in this case, it's more like the theme song for the band's final season. Before the music comes in, we hear what sounds like a revolution of youth. The death-growled lyrics sound more prophetic than anything done before, "We were destined to prove all the things that we say". The title track has some heavier guitar thrash, as Thorsen's harsh growls and Paulsen's clean singing open up different dimensions.
"Path of Destruction" is a 6-minute epic with gothic atmosphere and the best vocals by Paulsen. The music certainly sounds close to late 90s Anathema/The Gathering while more metallic. However, "Vultures Guard My Shadow" hits some slight turbulence, sounding more typical than special. The perfection is still stabilized though. "The Dawning" begins with some excellent guitar as the harsh and clean vocals battle against each other. "Room 306" may not be the strongest metal song title, but it's a haunting standout with soothing female choir and more of the emotional singing. It is more of a rock-on track rather than the usual symphonic death/gothic metal, while having some structural complexity. I enjoy Ronny's growls in the chorus, "Realize all is lost/dead/gone". Then "Our Grave Philosophy" loses some specialty though it's not really a grave error.
"Lost in Life" is more of a ballad with beautiful keyboards and cleans. Finally, "Eradicate" marks a desperate yet perfect way out, with a final lyrical message of "Prepare to fall!!!" The digipak edition has two bonus tracks that throw back to earlier albums, the first one being "Sleep Forever" with the great gloomy atmosphere of Existentia. "Quick Fix of Shame" has the eeriness of A New Dimension of Might all over.
ALL OVER... Two simple words that are hard to say but it was true. A band that was active for nearly two decades, with strong musicians and vocalists, gone just like that. So thank you, Ronny, for all this awesome music like in this masterpiece album.... And thanks for coming back for more. Up next: my thoughts on their recent comeback EP!
Favorites: "Waves of Existence", "Crimson Leads on the Trail of Tears", "Path of Destruction", "The Dawning", "Room 306", "Eradicate", "Sleep Forever"
