Band:	Trail Of Tears
Album:	Oscillation
Style:	Gothic metal
Release date:	April 26, 2013
A review by:	Ivor

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]

I was surprised by the last Trail Of Tears album more than I could hope for. After all, when I say the last, I mean the last. Supposedly there's not going to be another one after Oscillation. Rarely have problems within a band and a subsequent break-up had much to offer in terms of musical satisfaction. Oftentimes, it's a rather painful time spent on the porcelain throne as opposed to baking a delicious cake in the oven. Given the perspective, Oscillation was indeed a pleasant surprise.

It was so much a surprise that it triggered a re-listening of the whole discography, and the album itself spent quite a long time on top of my playlist. And while this visit to the back-catalogue confirmed to me that Trail Of Tears never quite managed to recapture the feeling of my favourites Profoundemonium and A New Dimension Of Might, I had to conclude that Oscillation seemed to hit home.

Oscillation feels more like a symphonic metal album than anything else, losing touch of black metal and the occasional industrial elements. It is nothing overly complicated, full of good and catchy melodies, and great rhythms. It also feels somewhat lighter, mood-wise, than its predecessor. It's a rather straightforward album musically, not deviating much from the chosen path set by the opener. All in all, musically, it's a full album of quality you can depend on without considerable ups and downs.

What made it appealing to me over the previous couple of albums, though, was that leading vocals are mostly handled by Cathrine Paulsen singing with Ronny Thorsen's growls taking the backseat, rather than the other way around. This album is actually the first time it actually feels that Trail Of Tears is a female-fronted metal band. And it suits the lighter touch of the music well. Plus, Cathrine is doing a really good job; parts of "Scream Out Loud" are still going around in my head.

It took me close to two months to cool down on this release. I'm not going to be denouncing what I wrote above. I still think that Oscillation is more than a decent farewell album and smooth enough for my liking. Unsurprisingly, however, it does wear thin on repeated listens. Guess I wanted it to be really good so it took me a while longer to wear it out and realise it's considerably less than spectacular. However, it still packs a punch and is a good listen. In my opinion it still gets the upper hand on Tristania's or Sirenia's latest albums.