A Swedish metal band! Whoda thunkit? Surely that scantly populated country only produces pop? Okay, mickey taking aside, any fan of metal with even the most rudimentary knowledge of the genre, and its many sub-genres, is fully aware of the apparent proliferation of acts from that nation. Looking at the review lists that come out from our esteemed editor on a regular basis I’m beginning to picture that country as some sort of metal paradise, where long haired Vikings sit on comfortable but affordable self assemble furniture head banging all day whilst swilling down Kopparberg cider. Trial is another band new to me from that fine nation, albeit this is their second album. So, what does it sound like? Read on.
If you are the most kvlt of metal warriors looking for the next level of corpse painted grimness, look away now, ‘Vessel’ is not for you. Rather if you are looking for a traditional, not to say retro metal odyssey, or are at least willing to give it a try, strap on your studded leather wrist bands, don your denim cut off, and pray continue. The album opens with the title track, which coincidentally is the shortest of all the numbers, an acoustic guitar arpeggio that builds up into a number highly reminiscent of the operatic doom of Candlemass. However, before it can meander too much, the pace is upped with ‘To New Ends’ and the true character of the band is revealed with breakneck twin guitar riffing and a galloping bass that owes more than a little to early Iron Maiden, vocalist Linus Johansson constantly sustaining the sort of high notes that were the trade mark of Bruce Dickinson, with King Diamond shrieks punctuating the verses. This obvious debt continues in the traded guitar solos, fast, technical, and cleanly executed. The same complex technical skills are displayed in the follow up ‘Ecstasy Waltz’, and number with a massive sound and layering that is a testimony to not only the musicians, but the engineer, the song sounding as if a fortune had been spent on it; in reality, with the size of the band and the label, it is more a testament to effective use or resources rather than indulgence; Blind Guardian have a new album coming out this year in which they boast of playing with a host of choirs and orchestras, but I would be amazed if they managed to create a fuller sound than Trial have with their far more limited budget. The tracks continue to get even more epic in scope with ‘Through Bewilderment’, a near nine minute track where each of the five members of the band get a go at displaying their virtuosity in a number, the rhythm section matching the twin guitars for complex structuring.
Closing ‘Vessel’ is ‘Restless Blood’, which at over 13 minutes is the sort of number that would deserve to be the highlight of a live show, complete with a pyro laden delivery to have hair whipping around, and fists pumping, the rush of riffs being broken mid song by a slow dark middle section where the spotlights could be dimmed and lighters raised in tribute before soaring solos delivered with feet firmly planted on monitors interweave with vocal gymnastics, building up into a closing crescendo. Whilst my own tastes in music for the last few years have tended far more towards the stripped down and lo-fi approach, there is still more than enough of a traditionalist in me to appreciate a fine slice of technical and over the top metal, and with no sign of a new album from Iced Earth in the near future, and no word on a new Iron Maiden release, Trial may very well be challenging to fill that vacancy.
(7/10 Spenny)
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