Trail of Tears

Profoundemonium (Napalm)
by Scott Hefflon

Young, pretty, and freaky-looking, these Goth metal brooders are a good bet for the long haul to morning (or mourning, I guess, to go with it). Smooth and darkly flowing, there’s nothing that really stands out about Trail of Tears, and while that may sound like a bad thing, some things are meant to roll like thunder across the plain. Heavy, syrupy metal riffs that mesh and work together much like the muscles in a dinosaur’s legs: each working toward a common goal, and while the minuscule half-step trudge doesn’t seem all that, when you’re pulverized by the efforts of the whole, you realize you missed the big picture. Vocals are doom, I guess, that kinda slow Cookie Monster thing, but quite good within that limitation. (Some of that stuff just makes me laugh, but ToT has a brooding monster feel to it, thus adding melancholy depth to the roar.) The whispered moments and angels cooing and petting each other in the ill-lit corners of the ceiling sure don’t hurt either.
(PO Box 382 Bremerton, WA 98337)