Rating: 8.9

Country: USA

Release Date: 2005

Record Label: Napalm Records

Track list:
1. Joyless Trance Of Winter [MP3]
2. Carrier Of The Scars Of Life
3. Frail Expectations
4. Cold Hand Of Retribution
5. Watch Your Fall
6. The Architect Of My Downfall
7. Drink Away The Demons
8. Point Zero
9. Dry Well Of Life 10. The Face Of Jealousy

Total playing time: 45:02

Band Website: Trail of Tears

Trail of Tears - Free Fall Into Fear

Ronny - Vocals
Runar - Guitars
Terje - Guitars
Frank - Synths
Kjell - Bass
Jonathan - Drums
Kjetil Nordhus - Vocals

Now here's an interesting and surprising release that I didn't see coming. Trail Of Tears were unknown to me upon first hearing this record, and I had been told by several who were familiar with my tastes "You'll hate it" , and "You're going to trash it once you hear it" . While I can't really say that I'm totally taken by this band, I can grant some concession and admit their obvious qualities. It was hard for me to keep an open mind. But it was fairly fulfilling and worthwhile. Trail Of Tears sound to me like an amalgamation of recent Dark Tranquillity offerings, a much heavier Into Eternity, with a major nod to latter Diabolical Masquerade; in particular the 'Death's Design' album. Their influences are so varied I could take all day and name bands that particular parts of this record remind me of. The comparisons to the three aforementioned bands were merely an illustration of the general sound. The resemblances are superficial, and Trail Of Tears prove with this record that they are not to be content with releasing an album comprised of other bands' ideas, as so many others are.

Trail Of Tears are definitely progressively minded, but not progressive by definition. The intricate layered harmonies, the ambience, and individual identity of the songs give the listener the sense that what they're listening to is not just "melodic death metal" or whatever you may want to call this. The depth and diversity of this music is a strength that almost outweighs all of the other factors that make this a *good* record. Trail Of Tears have an ability to lull the listener into complacence, then totally change the tone and tempo of the music so dramatically that one is not entirely sure it's the same song. At other times, the transition from one song to the next is so faultless that the music blends together into one composition ala 'Crimson'. As I stated in the previous paragraph, I didn't know quite what to expect upon first hearing this, and it was a little bit difficult to digest it all in one sitting. This isn't a record you listen to every once in a while and shelf it. Each repeated listen reveals new facets and dimensions you may not have noticed the first time.

The album begins with "Joyless Trance Of Winter", a sickeningly catchy straightforward tune that doesn't let up but for a minute or two during the chorus, where the typically growled vocals go to a more clean tone, and the guitars take a back seat for a moment to allow the synth to surface. The next song, "Carrier Of The Scars Of Life" starts as a mid-paced rocking type of tune, but emerges from it's grooviness as a blasting avante-garde blackish piece that hints at Arcturus. This song perhaps, most strongly resembles what Trail Of Tears have been known for with past releases. The synth abuse is heavy, and aside from the last few minutes, the general sound of this tune is much less aggressive than the first.

"Frail Expectations" would be among my list of standout tracks on 'Free Fall Into Fear', containing what I would consider to be some of the best riffage to be found on this record. It's a mostly fast-paced perfect summation of what this album's really about. Capable of devastating heaviness, but also adept at weaving elaborate harmonies in a multitude of tempos. The following tune, "Cold Hand Of Retribution" is another fine example of how unconventional this record can be. It touches on everything from blasting Black Metal, to progressive rock, to Black Sabbath worshipping downtuned stoner rock grooves mixed with some female vocal stuff. Sounds unique? If not, bad? No, not bad at all. In fact, Trail of Tears pull this unsual hybrid off, and make each of these sounds their own. Nothing sounds as if it were "borrowed" from elsewhere on this one. "Watch You Fall" is something like what Soilwork might sound like if they were to stop sucking so much. This one is definitely another standout in an album full of them.

"The Architect Of My Downfall" begins with a riff that was blatantly pillaged from Emperor's "Curse You All Men". However, as if plagiarism wasn't enough of a crime, they actually structured the entire song around it. This is the lowest point of the record, and it's still nothing less than thoroughly enjoyable. I could go on all day about these songs, mostly because it's such a lengthy record, clocking in around 45 minutes. But for the sake of brevity, I'll limit my description of the music, as I think the reader has gotten the point by now. Instead, we'll discuss some of the other aspects of 'Free Fall Into Fear'.

The percussion by Jonathan , while not overpowering, is tasteful and certainly competent. I could argue that it's mixed a bit low for my liking, but, being primarily a Death Metal fan, I'm accustomed to overwhelming blastbeats and such being very much in the forefront. Synthesized instrumentation can be found interspersed throughout chorus sections of virtually every song on this record, but it's never really in the way, and it's just enough to give the music the extra push it needs to get the point across. The traditionally sung "clean" vocals during most of the chorus sections, courtesy of Kjetil Nordhus (Green Carnation) , are immediately infectious and full of hooks. At other spots, 'Free Fall Into Fear' finds itself falling more in line with the recent avant-garde efforts of Solefald, blasting recklessly, but infused with subdued effects and mesmerizing chromatic riffage. What really propels this record to greatness, alongwith the strength of the music, is the production. It was recorded and mixed at Finnvox, a studio I can't say I'm very familiar with, but I can say I'm extremely happy with their work. This mix is bass heavy, with pronounced high and mid-range, emanating in perfect clarity. A truly great engineering job.

It may not be what I would normally find myself listening to, but it's grown on me, and it's easy to see why some may enjoy this band a great deal. Nearly every hint of their "Goth Metal" past is all but gone, and has been replaced with a world class Melodic Metal act that should reside within the upper echelon of this genre. No matter what score I give this one, I can't help but think I won't be doing 'Free Fall Into Fear' any justice. As far as my limited knowledge of this music goes, this is near-impossible to beat.

July 24th, 2005