Trees - Lights Bane (2008)

Trees - Lights Bane (2008)

What's with this trend of the 30-minute doom album? Who resurrected this? Did the guilty party feel that doom fans had long been spoiled by the doom records that stretched easily past the one hour mark on a consistent basis (the Epicus Doomicus Metallicus, if you will) and figured that our greedy doom-loving asses had had too much for too long? Or were their intentions more noble, feeling that doom had come to a point where it was getting too overblown, and figured some fans would welcome a more streamlined doom album? The answer is likely that I'm reading way too much into this and have just wasted several seconds of your time. But if it wasn't obvious at this point, Light's Bane, at 27-minutes, is yet another entry into the "doom LP's that feel more like EP's" category.

And of course it's good, otherwise it's length wouldn't be a problem. Comparisons of Trees to the now defunct Khanate are more than valid. The music is just as intense, slow, and suffocating. Vocalist L. Smith's delivery isn't quite as memorable as the shrieks and growls that came out of Alan Dubin, but it does the job. I found myself wishing that the changes in the songs were slightly less subtle. At first it was easy to miss the variations and have the whole thing sound like one jumbled mass of noise and screams, but I did begin to recognize the nuances and started to "get" the songs after repeated listens. It's a minor complaint, and may have more do to with my own listening habits than any flaw on the band's part.

Still, I keep coming back to the length. Even though I'm trying to judge the album based on the music that's actually there, it's difficult not to think of the music that isn't. As if it's expecting something to follow it, "Black" lacks the climactical quality that an album closer should have, so when it ends it's hard to shake the feeling that a third song should be starting. But alas, your (insert music playing device of choice) tells you a different story. And as a result, Lights Bane comes off like a teaser trailer before the real show starts, though it's tantalizing enough to build anticipation for what's next.


Score: 6.5/10


"Nothing" (excerpt)