May 8, 2008 | | 3

Trees, Lights Bane

Hailing from Portland, OR, Trees specialize in monolithic, doom metal that borders on the insane. The two tracks on Lights Bane weigh in at a hefty 27 plus minutes and each is comprised of ultra slow guitar, caustic textures, amplifier noise, blackened tones and thunderous drum work. The vocals on the two tracks consist of layered screams, growls and dissonant ramblings too distorted to understand. Pulling in influences from the likes of Bloody Panda and Khanate, Trees have delivered an abstract, black metal metal and ambient hybrid that at times is a bit overwhelming, yet entertaining.

Nothing
The first track on the album is anything but nothing. Filled to the crumbling brim with amplified noise, tortured guitar tones and crushing blasts from the rhythm section that suffocate and pummel. The vocals throughout shift from black metal screams to layered spoken elements and back again. There’s a bunch of feedback and noise that comprises a good portion of what’s heard on the track. Layered textures of doom, rust and sludge cover the entire mix in a black veil of desolation.

Black
The ominously titled “Black” starts out with some guitar noise and a few big hits in the riff area with lots of echoes applied. The vocals come across a bit more snotty than what was heard on the other song. Overall this one is much more dense, with thicker guitar tones. There are also some dark, psychodelic elements bubbling in the peripherals of this one.

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Trees has created a dark, disturbing listening experience with their debut Lights Bane. There’s so much going on in each track that it’s easy to become overwhelmed within the swirling textures and abstract nature of their experimental take on black metal. It’s an interesting view that’s not for every one so proceed at your own risk.

Favorite Tracks:
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Additional Notes:
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