Tree of Sores

Tree of Sores rightfully take their place amid the sea of awesome bands of almost every ilk spewing out of Leeds at the moment (See Eagulls, Antares, Slowcoaches and Humanfly for an interesting cross-section). The order of the day is pounding, atmospheric walls of sound that owe a lot to Times of Grace/Through Silver in Blood-era Neurosis with suitably grim male and female vocals. The overall atmosphere is most certainly dark and rarely seems contrived, the possible exception being the fourth track From Within. The brooding vibe conjured up by Tree of Sores pays off and the band have shaped for themselves a distinctive sound despite obvious influences. Closing track Silent Scream transcends it's slightly cheesy title and provides a satisfying end to a well-rounded release.

If Tree of Sores worked on how they could better incorporate their supposed crust influence and introduce more varied and unpredictable tempos then they would stand out as something really special. As it is, their self-titled EP (out on Witch Hunter Records on February 21st) makes for a really entertaining listen and shows some real signs of potential and ability. It's definitely worth purchasing the release when it's out and I look forward to catching them live sometime soon

Witch Hunter Records

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