Motherless

This is the third album for Swedish band Trial. I really, really liked their last one, Vessel, and so I was sad to find myself not as enthralled by this one. Overall, this album is slower and more stodgy than their last, with heavy, complex compositions and a lot of progressive sprawl to the songwriting. This is nowhere near as propulsive or classic-sounding as Vessel, and so initially I found it dull. Repeated listens, however, revealed this to be a rich, layered album with a lot of rewarding twists and turns for the dedicated listener. That said, it could still stand to be livened up, and comes off as a rather intellectual, rather than a visceral album.