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Band: Trail Of Tears
Album title: Oscillation
Release date: 26 April 2013
Label: Massacre Records
Tracklisting:
01. Waves Of Existence
02. Scream Out Loud
03. Crimson Leads On The Trail Of Tears
04. Oscillation
05. Path Of Destruction
06. Vultures Guard My Shadow
07. The Dawning
08. Room 306
09. Our Grave Philosophy
10. Lost In Life
11. Eradicate
12. Sleep Forever [bonus]
13. Quick Fix Of Shame [bonus]
The undisputed winners of the ''Metal drama award'' for 2013 are undoubtedly Trail Of Tears. A moment before Oscillation was released, a gigantic fight went ravishing on through the social media between the frontman Ronny Thorsen (and those on his side) and frontwoman Cathrine Paulsen (and those on her side). Needless to say, both stated very different sides of the story and it’s up to you to choose, whom to believe. It would not be such a surprise though, if the big fallout hadn’t happened in the years of the existence of the band for the second time – remember the drama, when basically the whole band left Ronny in the middle of touring, after the release of Existentia and it was rumoured, the band had called it quits for good. But Thorsen went on from scratch. Well, either you do or do not – Oscillation is (for now) to be the last Trail Of Tears record.
With all the drama going on, when Oscillation finally did see the light of the day, I couldn’t tell what stood out most. Trail Of Tears had a very powerful discography with a distinguished sound, in which they incorporated black and industrial metal elements into the mixture of symphonic and gothic metal and were always a bit darker and heavier than the majority of the gothic metal bands. In Oscillation, the sound is a bit more minimalized and lighter. There is also less of Ronny’s growling and more of Cathrine’s vocals present on the record, so vocal-wise this time the light shines on Cathrine. Especially in "Lost In Life", "Scream Out Loud" and "The Dawning" she really brings out the best of her talent.
Oscillation is overall very straight-forward, with some catchy melodies and flowing guitar rhythms, accompanied with keyboard tunes, that add a special touch of atmosphere. The ambient of the album is powerful and dark, basically what Trail Of Tears gave us with Existentia and especially Bloodstained Endurance, but still not as strong as it was on their first three albums (of which A New Dimension Of Might from 2002 still holds the gold medal in the band’s discography). Compared to its predecessor, Bloodstained Endurance, which had some amazing tracks that immediately took my breath away, Oscillation doesn’t have that few special songs that would really stand out. However, the album is consistent and holds a steady flow from the very beginning to its end, with the second half of the album being stronger than the first, especially with "Path Of Destruction" and "Vultures Guard My Shadow".
Since Trail Of Tears is no more, it’s safe to say they have ended their path with a good album, just as they started. The light point of this band will forever remain the consistency of their sound, as they really knew how to musically stay inside their comfort zone, while flirting with different approaches to their sound. So long Trail Of Tears and hopefully we will hear from the guys (and the girl) again, because their talent should not go to waste.
Review written by: Ines
Rating: 7/10
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