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Trail of Tears | |
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Also known as | Natt (1994–1997) |
Origin | Kristiansand, Norway |
Genres | Gothic metal, symphonic black metal |
Years active | 1997–2013, 2020–present |
Labels | Massacre, Napalm, The Circle Music |
Members | Ronny Thorsen Runar Hansen Jonathan Alejandro Pérez Endre Moe Nicolay "Jørni" Johnsen Ailyn |
Past members | (See below) |
Trail of Tears is a Norwegian gothic/symphonic black metal formed in 1997. Through most of their career the band emphasised the use of contrasting soprano and death grunt vocals, except for the release of Free Fall into Fear in 2005, in which the band switched this contrast mostly to tenor and growls, with less frequent soprano passages. The band disbanded in 2013, being succeeded by Thorsen's project Viper Solfa. In 2020, they reformed with old and new members, including previous Sirenia vocalist Ailyn.
Formed in 1994, the band's initial name was Natt; they were formed by Terje Heiseldal, Kjell Rune Hagen, Jonathan A Perez, Michael Krumins, and Ronny Thorsen. The band recorded a self-titled demo with that name. In 1997 their name was switched to Trail of Tears, in order to reflect the evolution of their sound and the changes that had been made from their initial line-up. The first demo the band recorded was When Silence Cries..., which contained three tracks and was released in April 1997. Guitarist Michael Krumins left the band and was replaced by Runar Hansen shortly thereafter.
The release of the demo lead the band to sign a contract for two albums with Dutch label DSFA Records. Their debut — Disclosure in Red — was released in that same year, and touring through Europe followed, alongside Tristania and The Sins of Thy Beloved.
Their second album, Profoundemonium , was released in 2000, and female vocalist Helena Iren Michaelsen left the band soon after, being replaced by Cathrine Paulsen in May of that year. The band proceeded to play in Europe several times during 2000. In the following year they signed a three-album deal with Napalm Records. Their third release, released in 2002, was entitled A New Dimension of Might and was produced by Terje Refsnes (producer of Tristania, Sirenia and Green Carnation).
2003 marked the band's first international concert, in Mexico. Female vocalist Catherine Paulsen left the band, and male vocalist Kjetil Nordhus (Green Carnation) joined Trail of Tears. This move prompted several changes in the band's sound, ultimately resulting in the 2004 album Free Fall into Fear , which was markedly heavier than their previous albums. A tour with Tristania and Therion followed the album's release.
Long term band members Terje Heiseldal and Frank Roald Hagen departed before the recording of the band's fifth album, with Gøran Bomann of Carpathian Forest standing in as a session live guitarist. The album was recorded as a five-piece with Runar Hansen recording all guitars and Bernt Moen being brought in as a guest musician to play keyboards.
Kjetil Nordhus, Runar Hansen, Kjell Rune Hagen, and Jonathan Perez walked out in November 2006 due to bad organisation leading to monetary loss for all the members of the band and posted a statement on the Trail of Tears' website saying the band had split up. Ronny Thorsen soon issued a statement saying they would in fact be carrying on without them and that they couldn't have chosen a worse time to leave the band due to the upcoming tour for the album Existentia . All tour dates had to be cancelled.
On 1 February 2007, it was stated that former Trail of Tears vocalist Cathrine Paulsen re-joined the band. The band was also confirmed for 2007's Sweden Rock Festival, [1] which was then followed with an extensive North American headlining tour alongside Echoes of Eternity and Unexpect.
The band entered Soundsuite Studio in Marseille, France with Terje Refsnes on 3 November 2008 to record their sixth studio album. [2] Since then, the band completed recording this album, titled Bloodstained Endurance . The album includes 11 songs and a limited edition album with an additional four or five bonus tracks will also be issued. The album was released on 27 May 2009. [3]
In July 2010, Trail of Tears announced that guitarist Pål Olsen has left the band due to lack of time and wanting to focus more on his band Guardians of Time. The band will continue as a quintet, and the departure, according to the band, will not affect the upcoming live activity or the progress of the upcoming album. [4]
In January 2012, Trail of Tears announced that long-time drummer Cato Jensen has parted ways with the band. [5] Bjørn Dugstad Rønnow later joined the band as the new drummer.
On 11 November 2012, the band revealed the cover artwork, made by Jan Yrlund, of their seventh full-length album Oscillation . In preparation for the release of Oscillation, the band signed to Massacre Records. [6] The album was released on 26 April 2013.
In January 2013, Ronny Thorsen, Endre Moe, and Bjørn Dugstad Rønnow were announced to have left Trail of Tears. Thorsen has been reported as leaving the band, despite being the only constant member of Trail of Tears since its inception. The remaining members were initially reported to be Cathrine Paulsen and Bjørn Erik Næss; both parties split from one another on acrimonious grounds. [7] According to Thorsen's Facebook statements, Massacre Records gave full support to himself, Moe, and Rønnow, while Oscillation is the final Trail of Tears album. [8] Some months later in 2013, Thorsen, Moe and Rønnow, along with Miriam Renvåg "Sphinx" and Krister Dreyer "Morfeus", formed the band Viper Solfa.
In October 2020, the band announced that they have returned with new guitarist Nicolay "Jørni" Johnsen and ex-Sirenia vocalist Ailyn, and are planning both new music and anniversary shows where they will play older albums in their entirety. [9]
On January 10, 2024, the band announced they will release an EP, Winds of Disdain, on May 24 via The Circle Music. [10]
Green Carnation is a Norwegian progressive metal band from Kristiansand, formed in 1990. Green Carnation's trend of music has continuously changed on every release one by one; from straight forward death metal in their demo, to death-doom, then a progressive doom metal sound, to an atmospheric gothic metal sound, to a melancholic hard rock sound and in 2006, went as far as to releasing an entirely acoustic album Acoustic Verses. The band released its first album in 14 years titled Leaves of Yesteryear on May 8, 2020, which marked a return to their earlier gothic progressive metal roots. A new single was composed, arranged, rehearsed and they were went on to record “The World Without a View” during the COVID-19 pandemic, "The World Without a View" was released digitally on December 18, 2020.
Tristania was a Norwegian gothic metal band formed in 1996 by Morten Veland, Einar Moen and Kenneth Olsson. Tristania's music is usually classified as Gothic metal with death influences, due to its strong tie and legacy within the gothic metal history. Their songs largely dealt with dark and sentimental topics, including depression, sadness, suicide, love, absence, and anger.
Sirenia is a Norwegian gothic metal band from Stavanger, founded in 2001 by Morten Veland.
World of Glass is the third full-length album by Norwegian band Tristania. The album was released on 25 September 2001 by Napalm Records. As a result of Morten Veland leaving the band, the harsh vocals were sung by Ronny Thorsen, vocalist of Trail of Tears.
Pilar María Del Carmen Mónica Giménez García, known professionally as Ailyn Giménez or simply Ailyn, is a Spanish singer. She is the current vocalist of Her Chariot Awaits and the former vocalist of the Norwegian symphonic/gothic metal band Sirenia. Whilst in Sirenia she was the fourth singer and sung on more full Sirenia albums than any other singer to date. In 2020 she joined the reformed Trail of Tears.
Subterranean Masquerade is a progressive metal band from Israel that was formed in 1997 by Tomer Pink, who is a guitarist and primary songwriter for the band.
Vazelina Bilopphøggers were a Norwegian band founded in 1979, in Gjøvik, Norway. They are known for their comedic re-interpretations of old rockabilly songs, where they re-write the lyrics in their own dialect. They have had several hits in Norway and have worked with many Norwegian stage artists and comedians. They have also been interpreted through comic books and computer games. In 1991 they provided the music for the Norwegian version of Rock-A-Doodle, and also provided the voices of some of the characters in the Norwegian dub; Viggo Sandvik voiced Chanticleer, Eldar Vågan voiced Patou, Jan Einar Johnsen voiced Snipes and Arnulf Paulsen voiced Stuey. In December 2000 they starred in a Christmas revue on TV 2.
Existentia is the fifth album by Norwegian gothic metal band Trail of Tears. It was released on January 26 (Europe) and January 30 (USA), 2007.
Morten Veland is a Norwegian musician. He is one of the founding members of the gothic metal band Tristania and the founding member of Sirenia and Mortemia.
A New Dimension of Might is the third studio album by the band Trail of Tears. The bonus track is a cover of the song "Caffeine" by the band Faith No More, from their album Angel Dust.
Profoundemonium is the second studio album by the band Trail of Tears. The cover art was designed by Travis Smith. It is the last album to feature female soprano Helena Iren Michaelsen, who left the band the year this album was made.
Disclosure in Red is the first studio album by the Norwegian gothic metal band, Trail of Tears.
Free Fall Into Fear is the fourth album by Norwegian gothic metal band Trail of Tears.
Bloodstained Endurance is the sixth studio album by the Norwegian gothic metal band Trail of Tears. It was the first full-length album recorded after Kjetil Nordhus, Runar Hansen, Kjell Rune Hagen and Jonathan Perez left the band in November 2006, forcing frontman Ronny Thorsen to assemble a new band. It is also the first album to feature soprano Cathrine Paulsen since A New Dimension of Might in 2002. The cover, by Travis Smith, uses the band logo from that album.
Rubicon is the sixth full-length album by the Norwegian band Tristania. It is the first Tristania album to feature Italian vocalist Mariangela Demurtas, who replaced former frontwoman Vibeke Stene.
Jonathan Alejandro Pérez is a Chilean drummer who is currently based in Kristiansand, Norway. He is known for his work with the Norwegian gothic metal and symphonic metal bands Trail of Tears and Sirenia. He is currently the drummer of Green Carnation since 2016.
Viper Solfa is a Norwegian extreme gothic metal band from Kristiansand, Norway. It was founded in 2013 by Ronny Thorsen, once the symphonic gothic metal band Trail of Tears was separated.
Carving an Icon is the debut album by the Norwegian extreme / gothic metal band Viper Solfa. The album was released on February 20, 2015 under the German record label Massacre Records.
Oscillation is the seventh studio album by the Norwegian gothic metal band Trail of Tears. It was released on April 26, 2013 under Massacre Records. The album was recorded at Sound Suite Studio in Marseille, France, between September and October 2011, in collaboration with producer Terje Refsnes.
Emmanuelle Zoldan is a French singer, best known for her work as a session musician in heavy metal bands as Sirenia, Trail of Tears and Turisas, among others. She is currently the vocalist of Sirenia.