Trial
Feed The Fire
Metal Blade Records
Released: September 2, 2022
Sweden’s Trial have return with the follow up to 2001’s Sisters Of The Moon, titled Feed The Fire and releasing through Metal Blade on September 2, 2022.
These are the first songs to feature new vocalist Arthur Andersson – who joined the band midway through the writing process for Feed The Fire. Prior to that, guitarist Alexander Ellström was preparing to write the lyrics and perhaps sing on this new record. “Hearing Arthur’s voice made me want to write more up-tempo songs,” explains Ellström. “That desire didn’t occur to me prior to him joining. We owe him a lot in shaping the new record after his voice. The result is a fast-paced, ferocious yet melodic album, and is about giving everything for something you hold dear, and letting it ruin you. This is visualized through a canticle of a goddess. For me, the goddess is very specific, I know who the goddess is, and what she means for me. Are you willing to find your equivalent and let it engulf you? I will happily feed the fire knowing what I get in return.”
Very quickly, new songs started to come together, but they broke up the writing process to drop the Sisters Of The Moon in 2021, as a way of introducing Andersson to their fans, comprised of two covers done in the distinctive Trial style. Then it was back to work on the full-length, the earliest songs written cast aside in favor of newer, better tracks that they were coming up with, half of the songs that made the record written in the last two months prior to recording, soon having the nine that would comprise Feed The Fire.
See Also: Spirit Adrift “20 Centuries Gone” Review
The band also recruited none other than Tomas Lindberg from At The Gates to do some vocals on the song Snare Of The Fowler.
Ellström admits that in the early days of the band he did not know how to write lyrics and drew inspiration from the likes of King Diamond, Mercyful Fate and Watain, but over the years he has grown as a writer. Discovering Jim Morrison from The Doors opened up a whole new world for him, “in terms of thinking about things and putting things a certain way”, and from there he got more into reading works and poems from the likes of Allen Ginsberg, Jack Kerouac and William S. Burroughs, which offered stylistic inspiration.
“The lyrical themes on the other hand mostly come from more obscure and occult books I own,” explains Ellström. “I use a specific theme and blend it together with my own personal struggles. Therefore my lyrics are mostly very personal but cloaked in a grander theme, for others to relate to.” For example, Sulphery is sulphur and mercury merged together. Together they refer to the male and female principle. Active and passive. Two principles that desire to be united. I am the salt – the body, one with the spirit and the soul.”
Then there is Quadrivium, which tells the story about the crossroads where Ellström found himself at the time of writing. “It’s about previous decisive moments of my life that emptied me spiritually and wholly. It’s about the intention to break free from the cross – the crossroads, and embark on a new journey, only to end up at another crossroads further down the road, awaiting me.”
The compact disc will also feature two bonus tracks, Sisters Of The Moon and Die Young, two cover songs that were released as as the Sisters Of The Moon EP in 2001. Pre-orders for Feed The Fire are available through Metal Blade right this moment.
For Fans Of: Haunt, Spirit Adrift, Bashful Alley
Track Listing:
01 Tria Prima
02 Sulphery
03 Thrice Great Path
04 In The Highest
05 Snare Of The Fowler
06 Feed The Fire
07 The Faustus Hood
08 Quadrivium
09 The Crystal Sea
