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The Old Dead Tree - The Nameless Disease review




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Reviewer:
9.5

83 users:
8.52
Band: The Old Dead Tree
Album: The Nameless Disease
Release date: 2003


01. We Cry As One
02. It Can't Be!
03. How Could You?
04. Won't Follow Him
05. It's The Same For Everyone
06. Somewhere Else
07. Joy & Happiness
08. Transition
09. Quietly Kissing Death
10. All...
11. The Bathroom Monologue

Is just amazing how come some bands can surprise you, and what I mean by this is that I listen to a LOT of bands every month, and no one manages to surprise me anymore, I mean, so I can go Wow! this is a fuckin' great band! They play well, but this has been done by zillion other bands before. So to come across a band that redefines a genre or creates a new one is rare. But this is the case of The Old Dead Tree, despite the strange name this band really rocks!

Their label (Season Of Mist) defines them as Gothic Metal, and they're right because it's the genre that most resemble the music of The Old Dead Tree. We have here a very sad album, with feelings of loss and despair, but at the same time full of anger and angst.

How do they manage to create such an atmosphere? Because they don't created it, it's there, the feelings, the anger, the melancholy, it's all there. This album is dedicated and written to honor the memory of the former drummer of the band, (Frédéric Guillemot 1977 - 1999) his suicide marked the band deeply, and all the songs are dealing with his suicide.

The first track "We Cry As One" has chunky guitar riffs, great clean and death vocals, courtesy of Manuel Munoz, the excellent singer of this band, the range of this song goes to dark Gothic Rock to some really kick ass Death Metal parts, all wrapped in a somber and sad atmosphere. Other killer songs are "It Can't Be" with a very catchy chorus, "How Could You" with powerful and melancholic lyrics, "It's The Same For Everyone" one of the most depressing songs in the album, and "Quietly Kissing Death" with a more "commercial" approach to the music.

The only problem with this record, is that some songs tend to go a little ? lengthy, to much useless instrumental parts, but let me set straight for the records, that this happens only in a few songs, and despite this record is incredible, a must-have for all fans of Gothic metal and depressive music at all, definitively one of the biggest surprises this year. I'll bet that Frédéric is proud of these guys, wherever he is right now.

Written by Undercraft | 02.07.2005




Comments

Comments: 7   Visited by: 94 users
09.12.2007 - 15:11
duyhung
Account deleted
just discovered this band and this album, wonderful music indeed... 'It Can't Be' is now stucking on my mind
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09.12.2007 - 18:45
BloodTears
ANA-thema
I think the rating is a bit high but other than that I have nothing to say.
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Written by BloodTears on 19.08.2011 at 18:29

Like you could kiss my ass.


My Instagram
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06.02.2008 - 10:16
cruel pain
carpathian flame
really overrated....pretty average according 2 me.....
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11.02.2008 - 23:43
+{Jonas}+
I R Serious Cat
I got to this band thanks to teh interview posted in november last year. And this albums kicks major ass. This is truly a unique band. Whch is hard to find nowadays... they make a perfect mix of the dispair and melancholy and the anger and angst as Undercraft says in the review. Kickass album.
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"Nobody wants to be the weird kid, you just end up being the weird kid. You don't know how you ended up getting there" - Rob Zombie

http://jonas-bs.deviantart.com My dA, mainly photography, go check it out!
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04.04.2008 - 01:45
Rating: 8
albatros

Good review, indeed. I saw them play in Hirson 2003. I thought, they were pretty good and bought the CD, but became bored with it soon. Today I dusted it off and played it and thoroughly enjoyed it.
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04.03.2010 - 14:35
Uirapuru
Liver Failure
Very good album. But the review rating was really too much, an 8 would be more than enough. This band reminds me a lot of Swallow the Sun, but are much more melodic with even some alternative trends.

''How could you?'' is my highlight by now, awesome vocal work.
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member of the true crusade against old school heavy metal, early 80s thrash, NWOBHM, traditional doom, first and second wave black metal, old school death metal, US power metal, 70s prog rock and atmospheric doomsludgestoner. o/
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07.03.2010 - 12:02
Rating: 9
Powerslavex
Alexskywalker
It's The Same For Everyone gives me the chills great song and a great album
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