The Old Dead Tree – Second Thoughts
The Old Dead Tree – Second Thoughts
Season Of Mist
Release Date: 06/12/24
Review by Laura Barnes
9/10
I am rather late to The Old Dead Tree party, which is real shame because that tree is right up my street. An amalgamation of Gothic Rock and Doom Metal, The Old Dead Tree have the kind of gloomy sound appreciated by fans of Katatonia and Woods of Ypres. This type of sound is difficult to categorize, but when you know it, you know it: haunting, progressive and melodic. Founded in 1997, it has been a long road for The Old Dead Tree. Powering through a series of break-ups, reunions, and COVID-related tour cancellations, “Second Thoughts” emerges as The Old Dead Tree’s first album since 2007. If the band are feeling rusty at all, however, they certainly aren’t showing it.
“Second Thoughts” is an album that is as interesting as it is polished, as complex as it is catchy. Vocalist Manuel Munoz is a rarity in that his clean and harsh vocals are equally excellent, meaning that the music is able to transition seamlessly between fury and melancholy. This is expertly done on tracks like ‘The Worst Is Yet To Come’ and ‘The Lightest Straw’, which have you headbanging away one second and entering a dreamscape in the next.
At other times on the album, it is the instrumentals that that take centre stage. In the latter half of the album, tracks like ‘The Trap’ and ‘Solastalgia’ take their time to create an immersive atmosphere. ‘Solastalgia’ in particular has a very modern feel to it, with a sound that is reminiscent of bands like Sleep Token and Spiritbox.
What particularly strikes me about “Second Thoughts” is the element of storytelling embodied throughout. Taken as a whole, the album is a meditation on doubt and regret, of looking over your shoulder and wondering if you did the right thing. Whether it’s the story of youthful violence on ‘Luke’ (a personal favourite of mine) or a lamentation of the loss of a friend on ‘Better Off Dead’, The Old Dead Tree know how to draw the listener in to a compelling narrative.
When I said I was late to the party, I meant really late. ‘Second Thoughts’ came out in early December, and it is due to my own disorganized folly that this review is only just coming out now. To The Old Dead Tree, I offer my deepest apologies. This is an album that deserves attention, and it deserves attention NOW.
TRACKLISTING:
01. Unpredictable
02. Don’t Waste Your Time
03. The Lightest Straw
04. Better Off Dead
05. Without A Second Thought
06. Luke
07. Story Of My Life
08. Fresh Start
09. I Wish I Could
10. The Trap
11. Solastalgia
12. OK
13. The Worst Is Yet To Come
14. Terrified
LINKS:
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