Review THE OLD DEAD TREE “Second Thoughts”

French dark rockers The Old Dead Tree have released “Second Thoughts,” a 13-song album that marks the band’s first full-length record in 17 years. The band issued three longplayers in the early 2000s before going on hiatus in 2009.

Ten years later, the French band returned with an EP called “The End”, which was the opposite. It was a new beginning, the start of a second era that is now being embraced with their fourth full-length.

Although rooted in dark rock, The Old Dead Tree show a lot of progressive elements in their music. The opener “Unpredictable” reflects this very well and not only because of the title. At the same time, the band adds addictive melodies to their song, allowing the listener to dive deep into the album from the first spin. “Story of My Life” is a good example of how the band combines bigger soundscapes and a dark spirit that doesn’t drown in pure grief. There is always a positive touch to these songs, with the melodies being an important factor.

But The Old Dead Tree can also play hard and heavy, as the guys show with “Without a Second Thought”. We are confronted with a powerful riff monster with hoarse vocals and a great contrast of heaviness and filigree song structures.

Softer and loaded with emotional depth, songs like “Luke” show the width of the album, which also carries a melancholic interlude with “Better Off Dead”. “The Worst is Yet to Come” signals the end of the album and instead of the worst we are about to hear the most epic song on the album. In more than 5 minutes the band sums up what they have delivered in the previous songs. It’s a versatile way to end the album, a longplayer that marks the return of a band that already had some success at the beginning of the new millennium. Fans of melancholy, darkness and addictive melodies should check out “Second Thoughts”.