The Old Dead Tree Second Thoughts CD Review

‘Second Thoughts’ has essentially been on hold since 2008 when The Old Dead Tree started working on what would have been their fourth album. Shortly after the band started working on it, they split up. They haven’t been stagnant over the years however, as they did briefly reunite in 2013 and released an EP entitled ‘The End’ in 2019. Now, in 2024, the French progressive metal band have made a full and exciting comeback with the release of an album fans were never sure they would get to experience.

There’s a lot to take in here. The first is, without any doubt, the impressive song writing ability by the band. I feel there are many bands they pulled inspiration from, most notably Katatonia and Opeth, but also from bands like Dark Tranquility and In Flames, especially on tracks like “The Lightest Straw” and my personal favorite, “Without A Second Thought”. The music ranges anywhere from progressive and melodic death metal to straight rock such as “Story of My Life” , “Don’t Waste Your Time” and “Unpredictable”. And it’s with songs such as “Unpredictable” that you hear how much soul frontman Manuel Munoz has. That’s really one of the many standout elements here - his ability to seamlessly cover multiple genres over the course of an album, sometimes even the same song (I’m looking at you “The Worst Is Yet To Come”).

This doesn't sound like an album from a band who hasn't put out a record collectively in about 15 years. This is an album from a band that is firing on all cylinders and knew exactly what they wanted to release. Personally, it seems a little unfocused in the sense there are so many different elements and soundscapes to take in, but everything is so well executed and is overall superlative.

~TJ