TRAIL OF TEARS - "WHEN SILENCE CRIES"
Hailing from Norway is seven-piece symphonic doom metal outfit Trail of Tears. I understand "When Silence Cries" is their virgin demo, and especially if you take that into consideration it's a damn fine one. The sound is good, the cassette layout design looks really professional...hey, wait a second, this is like saying a girl has "a really nice personality", right? The music is downright ugly, right?
Nope. Although one could complain about the three tracks together adding up to less than 16 minutes, what you get is actually pretty astonishing. Although it's perhaps not the most innovative symphonic doom you've ever heard, the music is well executed, well played, well written, well...well, it's just good. So go right ahead and send US$ 10 to the following address to get the demo yourself: Trail of Tears, c/o Ronny Thorsen, Radyrveien 21, N-4700 Vennesla, Norway.
RK
Written November 1998