The Last Tree

Alright, so here we have a melodic death metal EP. First off, I want to clarify, I'm not a huge fan of melodic death metal other than a few exceptions. Most of the stuff, particularly the Gothenburg-styled variety just bores me. To me, death metal isn't about melody, it's about brutality.

So my not so high rating should hardly be a surprise. With some added black metal-inspired vocals on some of the tracks, specifically "Two Brothers", this is your average, yet still enjoyable melodic death metal release.

There are two main reasons why I rated this higher however.

One of the reasons why some people cannot tolerate death metal (melodic or not) is the vividly grotesque and anti-religious/Satanic lyrics. Even fans of the style more often than not dismiss it. Don't blame them, for I don't care about it either, but I do think that those people should look this shit up. Fans of Cormorant and critics alike describe Arthur von Nagel's lyrics to be "poetic" and "compelling". Let me tell you, Von Nagel's work does not disappoint. Reading the lyrics, one can tell that he puts a lot of heart and thought into them, and that they are worthy to note.

The second reason, which is probably more responsible, is the concluding track titled "Ballad of the Beast". Of the five tracks, it is the most interesting and quite a change in direction. From the melodic death metal approach on the preceding tracks, it ventures into the realm of progressive metal. It is really enjoyable, defiantly the stand-out track by far.