The Nameless Disease

The Old Dead Tree played a few shows supporting Opeth on their Damnation tour. That's how I got to know this fantastic French band. At the show in Biebob, Vosselaar I purchased their album "The Nameless Disease", not really knowing what to expect from it, because unfortunately I had missed their show...
Well, after digesting it for a while I have decided that this is my favourite album of 2003 so far! Yes it's better than the new Opeth and new Iron Maiden, two of my favourite bands! But why is this album so good? To me this album is great for many reasons, though the most important one for me are the lyrics. Yes, the lyrics! I'm not a sensitive person at all and yet, these lyrics really, really touch me. This album is dedicated to the memory of their former drummer Frédéric Guillemot who commited suicide. Each and every song gives me the shivers!
But lyrics alone don't make great music. That's where Manuel Munoz and Nicolas Chevrollier's compositions come in. The band plays a unique hybrid of extreme metal, gothic and pop. There are no solos, but this kind of music doesn't need guitar solos. Finally the music is layered with Manuel Munoz' powerful and emotional vocals ranging from deep, gutteral growls to beautiful melodies.
This album is definitely the biggest surprise of the year from me. If I could recommend you one album this would be it! A band to look out for in the future!!