Review: TRIAL “Motherless”

TRIAL “Motherless”
Metal Blade records

In 2007 former members of two Death Metal bands from Trollhätten and Göteborg (ABSCESS PLAGUE – R.I.P. and ENSNARED) decided to join forces to create music together. First more or less two years of existence weren’t easy, which of course doesn’t mean that guys were sitting lazily during this time. Contrary! They rehearsed and worked on songs whole the time. Finally they met Linus who became voice of the TRIAL. In 2010 we got the result of their common work entitled just “Demo 2010”. This four songs long stuff was leading to deal for their debut full-length “The Primordial Temple” (2011). Then guys released EP “Malicious Arts” (2013), a single (in my opinion it was also EP) “Where Man Becomes All” (2014) and second album “Vessel” in 2015. And now after a little more than two years we can relish “Motherless”.

Third full-length of our Swedish brothers contains eight rather long (the shortest “Cold Comes the Night” takes 4:30, the longest “Embodiment” – 9:09) songs. But it’s definitely not the music which guys played on times of ABSCESS PLAGUE, ENSNARED or IMMERSION, where Linus was singing since 2004 until the dead of this band. By the way, since last year he’s also a vocalist of Thrash Metal band called BLACK CYCLONE. In both cases he presents similar way of singing. And you must be really as deaf as doorknob to don’t realize (especially in case of TRIAL) who’s his idol. You’ll ask who I mean. Well, I’m talking about some Danish guy who’s in opinion of really many people the best Metal vocalist ever. Of course fact that Linus patterns himself on mentioned Danish doesn’t mean that we have here with some copy of this god of Metal to do! He sings in his own way, uses own solutions, own timbre. By the way, the name of some other really great Heavy Metal vocalist (this time from England) can cross the mind when you’re listening to Linus.

When it’s about music, I’m not as sure as in case of Linus if comparisons with mentioned Danish and/or band which he created together with Hank Shermann in 1981 are well-founded. We can surely find some connections here with authors of “Abigail” or “Melissa”, but it’s rather connection in the vein of “Yeah, they all play Heavy Metal!”. Swedish play not so aggressive, more epic and in some way calmer. But from other side I can easily hear in some riffs or drums’ work their Death Metal past. It doesn’t happen often and it is more about character. Generally Alexander and Andreas play, as I said before, calmly, but also variously.

There’s not a lot of technical displays, but if you’ll listen carefully, you’ll surely find them. The same is about Martin’s beating. Anyway, music is just like that and energetic as well. Individual songs are sometimes very different from each other, but in the same time these slower and more energetic parts go hand in hand.

OH… During the recording of “Motherless” this guy (Alexander, actually) used several instruments which (without keyboard) are rather hardly connoted with Metal. You have, once again, to listen carefully to be able to hear them.

On the end I can write only one thing: it’s good album. This isn’t brilliant or amazing one for sure, but good! I can recommend it to all who like Heavy Metal. And it doesn’t matter if you’re true-blue fan of this sub-genre of Metal or listen to it from time to time (to take a rest from more extreme sub-genres for example).