Vale of Tears

Vale of Tears formed in Sweden after the band Darklight ended, with Jan Thore Grefstad on vocals, Magnus Sahlgren on guitar, and Michael Erlandsson on drums. Their first album, "A Thousand Tears," came out in 1994 and included the title track, a ballad about loss that got them some attention. They kept making music through the late 1990s and 2000s, putting out records like "Heaven's Tide," "Seven Waves," and "The Great Sleep."

Their songs often lean toward the somber side, with titles like "The Son of Nature," "Human Being," and "Sympathy For Passing Time" suggesting a focus on nature and reflection. Some listeners found their material too gloomy, but the band stuck with it, releasing albums such as "In the Shadows" in 2001 and "Within the Vale" in 2008. Later work includes "Doomsday" from 2014.

Grefstad's vocals, Sahlgren's guitar playing, and Erlandsson's drumming have been consistent through their recordings. They've built a catalog that includes tracks like "In the Land of Forests" and "The Mountains Are Waiting For You," maintaining a steady presence without much fanfare about lineup changes or dramatic shifts in style.