The Old Dead Tree ‘The End’ EP
Album Review By Adam McCann
Season of Mist/Gothic Metal
The Old Dead Tree (TODT) are band that have always been wrought with inner-conflicts and ‘musical differences’, seemingly to be on a constant rotation of splitting up and reforming so much that the words “we were on a break!” might as well be used. Despite this, TODT have always delivered heavy metal albums of exquisite quality so when it was announced last year that the band was returning and delivering the EP ‘The End’, the expectation was already relatively high.
TODT must have been born with a horseshoe buried into their arse, because ‘The End’ once again delivers superb quality. This is a well-produced EP that takes a step away from the Gothic metal that the band are known for and takes a running leap into a more progressive metal and post-metal territory. Complex time signatures and arrangements merrily dance throughout this EP, creating a beautiful backbone that is both enjoyable and addictive; tracks such as ‘Kids’, ‘Sorry’ and ‘Raise’ have all the appeal of Between the Buried and Me, Haken and Nailed to Obscurity, but there is still that darker edge to TODT which would pique the interest of fans of Alcest and Katatonia. Yet, is the vocals of Manuel Munoz which take the centre stage here on ‘The End’, throughout this EP, his voice soars beautifully, from a sombre thought to an ethereal shrill, Munoz brings all the mastery of the likes of Jeff Buckley and Matt Bellamy to the table, especially during ‘Sorry’, ‘Someone Should Know (The Truth)’ and the title track giving a certain panache to an EP that certainly has the ability to be able to appeal to those who might not necessarily give a band such as TODT a second thought.
‘The End’ has a certain infectious quality to it, an enjoyable je ne sais quoi that makes it difficult to turn off. Anyone looking for something different to listen to should certainly check this out, whilst long-time fans of TODT will lovingly take ‘The End’ into their stride.
Rating : 85/100
MHF Magazine/Adam McCann
