Silentree – Tree of Silence
Self-Released
By Axemaiden
Silentree’s debut album Tree of Silence, self-released in 2003/4 is a fine testament to old school metal and thrash, sounding like a blend of all the classic bands, yet retaining a unique sense of self-worth that will hopefully see them carry on improving at the rate they obviously have done with this album, and also hopefully seeing them signed. Hailing from the lovely Pescara, Italy, they appear to the listener to be a paradoxical mix of extreme heaviness blended with gorgeous folk-drenched guitar which retains hints of bands including Opeth and even a little Days of the New. The band are quite confusing to listen to at first, they really have drawn upon their influences, but very well, so the listener is often left a little perplexed as to how exactly to class Silentree. In my opinion, this is an important emotion to have, primarily since I have a small tendency to go on and on about band’s originality (or lack of it!!) so I’m over the moon that I had a chance to review this. Silentree use diverse influences from bands such as Sepultura, Metallica, Pantera and Black Label Society, as well as what appears to be heavier death metal bands (especially regarding the vocals and the fantastically powerful drums), and they use this influence damn well, with songs which range from heavy as fuck, with strong tapping guitar runs and solos, guttural vocals and dark drum beats, to incredibly chilled and really beautiful, mellow riffs. There are small problems with the album, but nothing that shouldn’t rectify itself with time, for example, some of the music seems to have been recorded slightly out of time, and the vocals need a little more production, but otherwise, this is definitely a group to watch. Especially check out the awesome cover of Slayer’s ‘Season’s in the Abyss’, with the evocative use of cellos and acoustic guitars, it took me ages to recognise it, which is exactly how covers should be!!
Official Silentree Website
Self-Released
By Axemaiden
Silentree’s debut album Tree of Silence, self-released in 2003/4 is a fine testament to old school metal and thrash, sounding like a blend of all the classic bands, yet retaining a unique sense of self-worth that will hopefully see them carry on improving at the rate they obviously have done with this album, and also hopefully seeing them signed. Hailing from the lovely Pescara, Italy, they appear to the listener to be a paradoxical mix of extreme heaviness blended with gorgeous folk-drenched guitar which retains hints of bands including Opeth and even a little Days of the New. The band are quite confusing to listen to at first, they really have drawn upon their influences, but very well, so the listener is often left a little perplexed as to how exactly to class Silentree. In my opinion, this is an important emotion to have, primarily since I have a small tendency to go on and on about band’s originality (or lack of it!!) so I’m over the moon that I had a chance to review this. Silentree use diverse influences from bands such as Sepultura, Metallica, Pantera and Black Label Society, as well as what appears to be heavier death metal bands (especially regarding the vocals and the fantastically powerful drums), and they use this influence damn well, with songs which range from heavy as fuck, with strong tapping guitar runs and solos, guttural vocals and dark drum beats, to incredibly chilled and really beautiful, mellow riffs. There are small problems with the album, but nothing that shouldn’t rectify itself with time, for example, some of the music seems to have been recorded slightly out of time, and the vocals need a little more production, but otherwise, this is definitely a group to watch. Especially check out the awesome cover of Slayer’s ‘Season’s in the Abyss’, with the evocative use of cellos and acoustic guitars, it took me ages to recognise it, which is exactly how covers should be!!
Official Silentree Website
