Ilienses Tree - Toward the Storm

Ilienses Tree is a death/doom metal band Italy, who formed in 2013. Their latest release, “Toward the Storm,” is their second full-length album; they have also released two demos.

“Toward the Storm,” is a melodic album with a lot of catchy harmonies and melodies throughout its 5 songs, 39-minute runtime.  I like this dynamic because it allows the music to be very fluid, with a lot of space to play around within.  This album isn’t simply made of songs that are low, slow, and cavernous but instead atmospheric, emotional, and even Gothic. 

The band isn’t afraid to strip back the essence of their sound in favor of clean moments that, while lacking the obvious punch from the distorted passages, fill the air with moments of emotive clarity that offer a different viewpoint even while acting as a fantastic bridge to more adventurous avenues.  The mid-passage of “To Not Be Forgotten,” births from a caustic moment of screams and riffs but offers a respite.  The clean guitar notes and much more gentle bass carry with them a deep sadness but also a buildup to another harrowing scream and riffs that drop like a thunderstorm.  The band is at its best when they lean heavily into a dirge, like the last two minutes where the entire band moves as one piece of a melancholic machine of infinite possibilities. 

The lead guitar is quite impressive across the album as well, with a sharp sound that easily rises above the action.  At times, it seems to lead the songs as the rest of the instruments form around it.  I like this a lot because so much doom is effective at setting the mood or offering dystopian landscapes, without much to show for guitars in terms of structure.  There isn’t anything wrong with that but it’s also nice to hear the guitars having a larger role in the condition of the songs.  “Wandering,” showcases this in a big way, with a whole lot of beautiful lead guitar parts, especially in the beginning and in the final half around the 7-minute mark.  The drums are effective on this song too, kicking up the tempo and letting itself go with a wild but controlled performance. 

Doom doesn’t have to be languished and subdued. The band embraces this notion at times, and it provides a kick to the face that keeps the album engaging.  On “Sudden Rain,” the vocals go for broke with some fantastic growls and screams.  The drums match that performance and further raise the stakes—this song is a total banger.  The dense grooves are the perfect delivery mode to really make this aggressive song deep and impenetrable in places, especially the first three minutes.  I appreciate the tempo being pulled back afterwards for a shining moment of melancholy.  Moments like this make the heavier ones all the more effective and a deeper understanding as a whole of the direction and structure of the song.  One of the album’s most crushing moments comes around the 6:43 with screams that will send shivers down your spine.  The riffs slow down while the drums hammer them into the psyche further.  Heavy, heavy, heavy.  

The title track ends the album, and I have to say it is my favorite of the four full-length songs (the opening song “Left Alone,” is an intro).   From the first note, the lead guitar grips me tight even while the rhythm guitar and bass threaten to pull me under.  The vocals and drums put on a tight, intense performance too—with a decent pair of headphones, this song fills like the audio version of swimming through cement as it begins to dry around you. My favorite part of this song, and of the album as a whole, is the entire movement from the 4-minute mark all the way to the end.  The screams, the atmospheric drums…..it all swirls together with the rising action of the guitars/bass and becomes the storm it was marching towards all along.  

Ilienses Tree’s “Towards the Storm,” is a well-written melodic death/doom album that has a consistently engaging sound that flows smoothly from beginning to end, that’s also surprisingly catchy with a lot of instrumentation that is in synch with each other, making for an album with a world building feel to it.  

Rating:  Great