Trail of Tears (band)
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| Trail Of Tears | ||
|---|---|---|
| Background information | ||
| Origin |  Kristiansand, Norway |
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| Genre(s) | Gothic Metal Progressive Metal Black metal |
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| Years active | 1994-present | |
| Label(s) | Napalm Records | |
| Website | Trail Of Tears Official Website | |
| Members | ||
| Ronny Thorsen Cathrine Paulsen |
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Trail of Tears is a Norwegian gothic metal band originally formed in 1994 under the name of Natt. Through most of their career the band emphasised the use of contrasting soprano and death grunt vocals, but with the release of Free Fall Into Fear — in 2004 — the band switched this contrast mostly to tenor and death growls, with rare soprano passages.
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[edit] History
Formed in 1994, the band's initial name was Natt, but in 1997 their name was switched to Trail of Tears, in order to reflect the evolution of their sound and the changes that had been made from their initial line-up. The first demo the band recorded was When Silence Cries..., which contained three tracks and was released in April of 1997. Guitarist Michael Krumins left the band and was replaced by Runar Hansen shortly thereafter.
The release of the demo lead the band to sign a contract for two albums with Dutch recording label DSFA Records. Their debut — Disclosure in Red — was released in that same year, and touring through Europe followed, alongside Tristania and The Sins of Thy Beloved.
Their second album, Profoundemonium, was released in 2000, and female vocalist Helena Iren Michaelsen left the band soon after, being replaced by Cathrine Paulsen in May of that year. The band proceeded to play in Europe several times during 2000. In the following year they signed a three-album deal with Napalm Records. Their third release was entitled A New Dimension of Might and was produced by Terje Refsnes (producer of Tristania, Sirenia and Green Carnation), the album was released in 2002.
2003 marked the band's first international concert, in Mexico. Female vocalist Catherine Paulsen left the band, and male vocalist Kjetil Nordhus (Green Carnation) joined Trail of Tears. This move prompted several changes in the band's sound, ultimately resulting in the 2004 album Free Fall Into Fear, which was markedly heavier than their previous albums. A tour with Tristania and Therion followed the album's release.
Long term band members Terje Heiseldal and Frank Roald Hagen departed before the recording of the band's fifth album, with Gøran Bomann of Carpathian Forest standing in as a session live guitarist. The album was recorded as a five-piece with Runar Hansen recording all guitars and Bernt Moen being brought in as a guest musician to play keyboards.
Kjetil Nordhus, Runar Hansen, Kjell Rune Hagen and Jonathan Perez walked out in November 2006 due to bad organisation leading to monetary loss for all the members of the band and posted a statement on the Trail of Tears' website saying the band had split up. Ronny Thorsen soon issued a statement saying they would in fact be carrying on without them and that they couldn't have chosen a worst time to leave the band (due to the upcoming tour for Existentia). He also claims to have offered to pay them the money they lost from his own funds, but they did not accept. All tour dates had to be cancelled.
On February 1 it has been stated that former Trail Of Tear's vocalist Cathrine Paulsen has re-joined the band. The band was also confirmed for 2007's Sweden Rock Festival[1]
[edit] Line-up
[edit] Current members
- Ronny Thorsen - Vocals (1994-)
- Cathrine Paulsen - Soprano vocals (2000-2004, 2007)
[edit] Former members
- Jonathan Perez - Drums (1997-2006)
- Kjell Rune Hagen - Bass (1994-2006)
- Kjetil Nordhus - Vocals (2003-2006, previously a session member)
- Runar Hansen - Lead guitar (1997-2006)
- Terje Heiseldal - Rhythm guitar (1994-2005)
- Frank Roald Hagen - Synthesisers (1997-2006)
- Ales Vik - Soprano vocals (1994-1997)
- Helena Iren Michaelsen - Soprano vocals (1997-2000)
- Vidar Uleberg - (1994-1997)
- Michael Krumins - Lead guitar (1994-1997)
[edit] Discography
[edit] Albums
- Disclosure In Red (1998)
- Profoundemonium (2000)
- A New Dimension of Might (2002)
- Free Fall Into Fear (2005)
- Existentia (2007)
[edit] Demos
- Natt (1996)
- When Silence Cries... (1997)
