Trail of Tears
Trail of Tears began in 1997, although up until then some of the band members had spent a couple of years experimenting under the name of Natt. After carving out their musical direction, the name Trail of Tears was instituted in the beginning of 1997 and a 3-track demo entitled "When Silence Cries..." was recorded in Jailhouse Studio to great acclaim.
Not unlike the phoenix, Trail of Tears rises from the ashes presenting their sixth album with a newfound strength. "Bloodstained Endurance" unites the best elements of past releases and advances them to a new level. Hard metal riffs and a pulsing rhythm section form the foundation for sweeping and emotive vocal duels between Ronny Thorsen and Cathrine Paulsen, whose unique voice, which can also be heard on the band's first album, delivers the necessary goose bump factor. I caught up with Cathrine to see what makes them tick...
Hello there pretties, how are things going in your lovely world?
Great, thank you!
We are proper 100% loving your super hot new record…tell us a bit about the inspiration behind it…
Many of my lyrics is a pure result of some issues I had to deal with for some years now..I am a very sensitive person, and I easily get upset by watching all the bad situations going on in this world...To me, it is hard to keep a distance between all that and my personal life, so when you take to much into your heart, and can`t do anything but watching all these unfairness. You will get depressed after a while.
It`s inspired by some peoples ignorance and lack of empathy, concerning both my personal life and more general bad behaviour, which I have witnessed to
many times.
To anyone who hasn’t heard of you yet, how would you describe your sound?
I never felt that Trail of Tears have been a pure gothic band. We have some of the elements for sure, but It is more agressive, but still very melodic. i feel the " beauty and the beast" vocals is the strongest element that we have from gothic metal, but beside of that, the songs is very different from most gothic band I have heard. On " Bloodstained Endurance" I think we have a stronger presence of "rock guitar" and more catchy and more agressive melodies through the entire album. Also I feel my vocals is not as "sweet and loving" , but expressive and more powerful than what many are used to hear.
If you were going to give us just one song of yours to listen to so that you would become our new favourite singer, what would it be?
Well, it depends on what you like. If you like ballades, I would suggest "Storm at Will"...If not I would say "Triumphant Gleam" which after my opinion, contains everything a good song should.
If you could cover another band’s song, what would it be?
I love W.A.S.P, I think Blackie Lawless is a great musican, so if I could, it would have been fun to cover " Charlie`s Chainsaw" , but more realistic I would do " Take me up" from the latest album "dominator". Great song, powerful lyric!!
And can you sum up your good selves in just five words?
I am kind, caring, temperamental, stubborn and very sensitive.
What makes you stand out from the crowd?
I don`t know... I guess I have my own way to perform and sing and I have been doing it for 20 years now… I am very personal in everything I do, and give it all each time. But in the end I leave it to the audience to answer for themselves on that one....
You know we’re having a bit of an economic crisis here at the moment, if people wanted to spend their last £10 on a cd this weekend, why should they buy yours?
Because it’s good music and it’s a really honest album. It is personal and very worked through. I feel this is album you would listen to both on a party or while
being alone. I feel it is easy to grow with this album, and to more you hear it, to more you like it.
What three bands would you have to headline your dream festival?
That one is easy… Strapping young Lad, W.A.S.P. and Iron Maiden!!!!!! yeahhh!!
What has been your favourite musical memory to date?
I am a big fan of Michael Jackson, and I was lucky to see him in 1997 in Oslo. I grew up with his music, and I think he`s a genius!! But I also need to mention Korn, which I saw just a few weeks ago. They are simply Amazing on stage!!! What an energy!!
If all of the bands equipment was on fire, what one piece would you save and why?
I really don`t like to think about it...scary thoughts....
Who do you think is the greatest artist around at the moment?
Well, I think Michael Jackson is a legend… but I love Blackie Lawless, Devin Townsend,...and many more.
If you could only listen to one CD for the rest of your life, what would it be?
It would either have to be Aerosmith, "Big Once", cause it makes me so happy and in mood for a party,. Or Strapping young Lad, "City", which just beat the crap out of everything I ever heard. I have to add Emperor, "Nightside Eclipse"... To be honest I’d rather kill myself than be in a situation like that...I can`t name just one...
Okay, now we want to ask you some random questions; Tell me about the most terrifying experience of your life…
I don`t feel like sharing that kind of experiences.. I am a musician, and if I feel like sharing it, I do it through the music. So read my lyrics if you want to know...
What’s the most stupid purchase you’ve ever made?
okay...you ask me to write a book???...hahahahahaha... Sorry, not the kind of question I answer...
Why go to the top of a tall building, only to put money in binoculars and look at things on the ground?
For the same reason to stand on the ground and look up I guess???.. Or to get a new perspective maybe??.. I don`t know, I never done it...but I will try, and maybe I`ll find a good answer:) hahaha..
FemaleFirst - Ruth Harrison
Trail of Tears began in 1997, although up until then some of the band members had spent a couple of years experimenting under the name of Natt. After carving out their musical direction, the name Trail of Tears was instituted in the beginning of 1997 and a 3-track demo entitled "When Silence Cries..." was recorded in Jailhouse Studio to great acclaim.
Not unlike the phoenix, Trail of Tears rises from the ashes presenting their sixth album with a newfound strength. "Bloodstained Endurance" unites the best elements of past releases and advances them to a new level. Hard metal riffs and a pulsing rhythm section form the foundation for sweeping and emotive vocal duels between Ronny Thorsen and Cathrine Paulsen, whose unique voice, which can also be heard on the band's first album, delivers the necessary goose bump factor. I caught up with Cathrine to see what makes them tick...
Hello there pretties, how are things going in your lovely world?
Great, thank you!
We are proper 100% loving your super hot new record…tell us a bit about the inspiration behind it…
Many of my lyrics is a pure result of some issues I had to deal with for some years now..I am a very sensitive person, and I easily get upset by watching all the bad situations going on in this world...To me, it is hard to keep a distance between all that and my personal life, so when you take to much into your heart, and can`t do anything but watching all these unfairness. You will get depressed after a while.
It`s inspired by some peoples ignorance and lack of empathy, concerning both my personal life and more general bad behaviour, which I have witnessed to
many times.
To anyone who hasn’t heard of you yet, how would you describe your sound?
I never felt that Trail of Tears have been a pure gothic band. We have some of the elements for sure, but It is more agressive, but still very melodic. i feel the " beauty and the beast" vocals is the strongest element that we have from gothic metal, but beside of that, the songs is very different from most gothic band I have heard. On " Bloodstained Endurance" I think we have a stronger presence of "rock guitar" and more catchy and more agressive melodies through the entire album. Also I feel my vocals is not as "sweet and loving" , but expressive and more powerful than what many are used to hear.
If you were going to give us just one song of yours to listen to so that you would become our new favourite singer, what would it be?
Well, it depends on what you like. If you like ballades, I would suggest "Storm at Will"...If not I would say "Triumphant Gleam" which after my opinion, contains everything a good song should.
If you could cover another band’s song, what would it be?
I love W.A.S.P, I think Blackie Lawless is a great musican, so if I could, it would have been fun to cover " Charlie`s Chainsaw" , but more realistic I would do " Take me up" from the latest album "dominator". Great song, powerful lyric!!
And can you sum up your good selves in just five words?
I am kind, caring, temperamental, stubborn and very sensitive.
What makes you stand out from the crowd?
I don`t know... I guess I have my own way to perform and sing and I have been doing it for 20 years now… I am very personal in everything I do, and give it all each time. But in the end I leave it to the audience to answer for themselves on that one....
You know we’re having a bit of an economic crisis here at the moment, if people wanted to spend their last £10 on a cd this weekend, why should they buy yours?
Because it’s good music and it’s a really honest album. It is personal and very worked through. I feel this is album you would listen to both on a party or while
being alone. I feel it is easy to grow with this album, and to more you hear it, to more you like it.
What three bands would you have to headline your dream festival?
That one is easy… Strapping young Lad, W.A.S.P. and Iron Maiden!!!!!! yeahhh!!
What has been your favourite musical memory to date?
I am a big fan of Michael Jackson, and I was lucky to see him in 1997 in Oslo. I grew up with his music, and I think he`s a genius!! But I also need to mention Korn, which I saw just a few weeks ago. They are simply Amazing on stage!!! What an energy!!
If all of the bands equipment was on fire, what one piece would you save and why?