Dangerdog Music Reviews :: © 1999 - 2023 Craig S Hartranft :: All Rights Reserved
No part of this this website, including design and music reviews,
may be reproduced in any form or by any means without
the prior written permission of the publisher.
- New Music Reviews
- |
- Archives
- |
- News
- |
- Submissions
- |
- About
- |
- |
New Music Reviews, Hard Rock, Heavy Metal, Progressive Rock, Progressive Metal, AOR, Alternative Rock, Alternative Metal
Recent Reviews
September 2023
- Rockett Love: Galactic Circus
- Kerrigan: Bloodmoon
- Taz: Shipwrecked, Vol 2
- Taz: Wake Up & Sweat, Vol 1
- Ronnie Romero: Too Many Lies, Too Many Masters
- The Flower Kings: Look At You Now
- Vega: Battlelines
- Blackbird Angels: Solsorte
- Primal Fear: Code Red
- Eclipse: Megalomanium
- Seventh Wonder: Mercy Falls (Reissue 2008/2023)
- Seventh Wonder: The Great Escape (Reissue 2010/2023)
August 2023
- Hurricane: Reconnected
- U.D.O.: Touchdown
- Streetlight: Ignition
- Sarayasign: The Lion's Road
- Neal Morse: The Dreamer - Joseph - Part One
- Rian: Wings
- Icon Of Sin: Legends
- Lancer: Tempest
- King Kobra: We Are Warriors
- Dark Sky: Signs Of The Time
- Hell In The Club: F.U.B.A.R.
- Kent Hilli: Nothing Left To Lose
July 2023
- Turkish Delight: Volume Two
- Winterstorm: Everfrost
- Scream Maker: Land Of Fire
- James Robledo: Broken Soul
- Houston: Relaunch III
- All For Metal: Legends
- Withering Scorn: Prophets Of Demise
- Bloodbound: Tales From The North
- Kikimora: For A Broken Dime
- Degreed: Public Address
June 2023
- Night Legion: Fight Or Fall
- Midnite City: In At The Deep End
- Pyramaze: Bloodlines
- Shakra: Invincible
- Vypera: Race Of Time
- Stardust: Kingdom Of Illusion
- Pride Of Lions: Dream Higher
- Joel Hoekstra's 13: Crash Of Life
- The Defiants: Drive
- Ray Alder: II
- Art Nation: Inception
- False Memories: Hybrid Ego System
Winter Tree, The: The Winter Tree
Winter Tree, The: The Winter Tree
Melodic/Progressive Rock
3.0/5.0
ProgRock Records
Website
by Craig Hartranft, 11.07.2011
The Winter Tree rises from ashes of Magus, a recognized prog rock band formed by composer and multi-instrumentalist Andrew Laitres (Robinson). The music of this eponymous debut is quite quiet ambient melodic rock. It's so suspiciously calm to be nearly lacking ambition Loads of synth layers rule the day here, with some light drums, light acoustic and electric guitar thrown into the mix. The vocals play over this. Turning up the volume doesn't really do anything, except make this soothing serenity louder.
Exceptions come in three songs. Now That You've Flown offers acoustic guitar and piano, but moves to a lively, yet still, light rock tempo. With Stranger, you get piano and vocals, and then it picks up into some bolder stronger rock but, again, not overtly heavy. It's possibly the best song here. The final, and longest song, The Adventures of Prince Caspian, an instrumental, is likely the closest thing to progressive rock here. The substance of two-thirds of the arrangement is Laitres invoking the realms of synthesizer and electronica. Then later some big drums come into undergird them, and moves to a more traditional prog rock feel. Yet, as with most of this album, it can easily escape your notice.
And perhaps that's the ruling characteristic here: the music, lacking urgency and intrigue, moves with blissful complacency. If you like your prog quiet, unassuming, and not necessarily challenging, then The Winter Tree fits.
Tweet
In Short
The Winter Tree is quiet and unassuming melodic rock that moves with a blissful complacency; it may be over before you realize it.
Find A Review
Alphabetical Index
Album of the Week
Formed in 1999 by singer, songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist Erik Martensson, Sweden's Eclipse is well into their third decade of making music. In the recent past, their recordings and reputation have ... [ Read More ]