The Last Tree

Without debate, one of the qualities that is lacking in most metal bands today is originality, and this is most noticeable in the black metal and death metal genres. Too often are there bands that sound nearly exactly the same, and have very boring, repetitive song structures. Even amongst modern, successful bands, such as Immortal and Cannibal Corpse, very few songs amongst their immense discographies that are very prominent and garner much attention.

Thankfully, this California death metal band is showing exemption from this trend. Their ending song "Ballad of the Beast", a 9 minute masterpiece, starts off with a quiet intro on Arthur's fretless bass, while steadily building up with a catchy, attractive riff and climaxing, only to bring the listener to a quiet epilogue, with attractive guest female vocals and a wonderful piano piece.

However, while the songs do all have a welcomed feeling of originality, the rest of the CD does become somewhat repetitive in the midst of the other 4 songs, but as Arthur himself has said, he plans to go towards songs more like Ballad of the Beast, and has even described other styles of new songs that are sure to break this trend (one song not featured can "best be described as Thin Lizzy meets Falkenbach"). And even though the songs can blend together, they do still have an attractive, distinct feel and stand out. The band mentions a variety of bands in their influence, from Country to Death metal, and I'm sure that in future releases that they will improve upon this slight flaw.

The musicianship on the CD can be somewhat frustrating however; Arthur's vocals can seem to overpower the guitar at points, and on songs such as "Trojan Horses" and "Ballad of the Beast" they can hide some magnificent guitar leads that I was really hoping to hear develop. Another disappointment is the lack of volume the bass guitar is given on the album. I know that the bassist isn't, generally, supposed to be the showcase in the band, but Arthur does show talent in the department, and I would like to have seen the bass take a valuable role in the songs, like it did in "Ballad of the Beast", or maybe exhibit some more interactive basslines and even have some leads such as in bands like Control Denied or Iron Maiden.

However, overall this EP is a diamond in the ruff amongst new, underground death metal bands, and is definitely a release worth looking into; Cormorant is an up and rising band that could one day make a big name for themselves if they play their cards right.