A completely unfamiliar band for me, the French four-piece The Old Dead Tree. Hailed as playing gothic metal, this album provides a lot for fans of both gothic and metal, since that’s probably what Season of Mist aimed for with this album. Gothic for the atmosphere of the album (that reminds me of Paradise Lost (new style) and Seigmen at some moments), whilst the metal aspect is provided by the double bass-drumming and the vicious screams of frontman Manuel Munoz, as we’ve heard Pantera do. This album, which is dedicated to the previous drummer of the band who committed suicide back in 1999, has it’s strong and it’s weak points with neither one topping the other.

There’s a very strong song in the shape of "Won’t Follow Him" and yet the production isn’t exactly to be called perfect. Fans of a mixture between dark rock and gothic metal should give this record a try, whereas the fans of more traditional metal should be able to appreciate this style too. You can rock, dance, sing and headbang on it, and that’s exactly the best thing about this record. It’s a shame about the sometimes weak sound though.