On Trial’s latest album “Forever” gave me mixed feelings. I must admit that this Danish band succeeded in recording a mellow psychedelic album well worth listening to. Yet, the overall sound is too close to REM for my personal liking. It’s not just that the vocals are too similar to the typical Michael Stipe sound, the music itself feels like REM going for a psychedelic sound. Only during the more rougher and experimental songs on the disc the band shows the capability to come up with a distinctive sound.

The track “Every New Direction” is a fine example of what the band could/should sound like. It’s too bad that most of the rougher tracks seem to be just lacking the vibes that makes the more mellow tracks so easy to listen to. I definitely do like the easy with which On Trail combines mellow, somewhat poppy sounds with characteristic psychedelic guitar sounds from the seventies. “Forever” features a couple of tracks with hit potential but falls a little bit short in its entity.