Band:	Trail Of Tears
Album:	A New Dimension Of Might
Style:	Gothic metal
Release date:	September 16, 2002
Guest review by:	corrupt

01. Ecstatic
02. A Fate Sealed In Red
03. Crashing Down
04. Obedience In The Absence Of Logic
05. Liquid View
06. Denial And Pride
07. The Call Of Lust
08. Splendid Coma Visions
09. Bloodred Trance
10. Caffeine [Faith No More cover] [limited edition bonus]

Whenever a quality album slips through general attention unnoticed, quite a bunch of reasons can be involved. In case of Trail Of Tears' 'A New Dimension Of Might', the reason might be the simplest of all. Trail Of Tears must be one of, if not the most underappreciated bands in the metal world. Their esoteric hybrid-style of Gothic and Black Metal doesn't seem to have its target audience in either camp, although 'A New Dimension Of Might' takes this symbiosis to near perfection and would deserve to be equally appreciated by fans of each genre.
Combining key elements of both styles, Ronny Thorsen and his band create an unequalled atmosphere. The songs being just structured simply enough to emphasize this atmosphere, but inherently powerful. Fast, aggressive guitar riffs and drums alternate with slow, emotional passages. Dark keyboards accompany the listener through this epic and the powerful, yet angel-like voice of Cathrine Paulsen cuts through growls and low-pitched clean vocals like razors.

Aside from the musical power of this ensemble - as much of Trail Of Tear's work does - 'A New Dimension Of Might' lives from its lyrical work. Ronny Thorsen is a lyricist of the old days, able to fit his deep lyrics perfectly into these songs without restraint to phrasing or song structure. His lyrics take the listener out on a journey through fear, hate, regret, revenge and death, visiting the darkest and most distant corners of the human mind. Added to this the four different voices and choir, the listener ends up with an album as well-arranged and atmospheric as few in these styles are. I say four voices because aside from Ronny Thorsen and Kjetil Nordhus, (the latter acting as a guest singer, providing clean male vocals) Cathrine Paulsen has two styles in her repertoire. This album doesn't solely rely on high-pitched female vocals but also on her casual voice, further adding diversity to a few songs.

Unfortunately, the album wasn't as well produced as it could have been. This is most apparent in the levels. Certain songs have a noticeable step in loudness when one passage leads into another. Also I don't appreciate productions where vocals are mixed so low that they nearly disappear in the music when not listening with headphones. For this, and for the cover of Faith No More's 'Caffeine', which in my opinion, doesn't fit into the album at all, I'll take a few points away.
Songs that are most worth a listen: 'A Fate Sealed In Red', 'Liquid View', 'Obedience In The Absence Of Logic' and 'Bloodred Trance'.

The concept of male growls and female singing isn't new, and Trail Of Tears certainly didn't reinvent the wheel here. But this band deserves more attention and this album is the perfect start. Especially if you are as bored by today's Gothic Metal as I am.