I liked Trial's Malicious Arts EP and its similarity to early Fates Warning but was less enamored with their album Vessel, finding it too dense and overwrought. I missed the next one (Motherless) but have picked up the thread with their fourth album, Feed the Fire. Right off the bat it sounds like Trial are attempting to forge their own sound as the progressive aspect of their songwriting has (at least initially) been toned down and songs like "Sulphery" and "Thrice Great Path" have a more direct, upbeat feel with some nice twin guitar work and catchy melodies. "In the Highest" features new vocalist Arthur Andersson (who used to be in Air Raid) matching his high singing with the guitar melody on the chorus quite effectively. On the second half of Feed the Fire, Trial slows things down with a little more complexity to the structures but only enough to give songs like "The Faustus Hood" and "Quadrivium" and epic vibe with more of an expansive atmosphere. I can still hear Fates Warning and bands like Iron Maiden and even a hint of Dark Forest in Trial's approach on this album and, while it isn't a cohesive listen quite yet (the first half and second half are noticeably different), I like the direction they are going in and look forward to where it takes them.
