I'm sure that some people will blame Portland's TREES for imitating the sound of Khanate, but that wouldn't be really fair. The first five records from Black Sabbath have been plundered over and over again, but a band like for example Saint Vitus has added their own ideas to the foundation, which was build by Iommi, Butler, Ward and Osbourne in 1969. That's exactly what TREES is doing with Khanate. The band is using the same patterns as Khanate did, without any groove or melody. The cover artwork is a good incarnation for their sound; everything looks peaceful at first sight, but actually all is rotting and seems unsettling. TREES have a warm guitar sound, and the vocals are less extreme but the vibe is mostly sick and morbid. 'Lights Bane' consists of two epic tracks, 'Nothing' and 'Black', that trudge along at a slow pace. Everything is smothered in feedback, intermitted by a few psychotic outbursts.

You should have an interest in noise and sustain, or you'll probably hate that band. I think that especially 'Black' is a promising sonic sculpture, due to its variety. TREES can create a morbid slow-motion scenario, where tortured vocals express the bleakness of each single riff. The melodies are crooked and hidden, and sometimes it seems as if the song is losing its direction. Especially 'Nothing' is mostly only long winded and not more. That's the main reason, why I have to be in a special mood while listening to 'Lights Bane'. But then I fully enjoy this sick bastard. I think, it's not the best album which has been released by Crucial Blast in 2008, but I'm sure that it will fiend a few friends. Here I am! By the way, a band like Khanate is hardly imaginable without early Swans, but that's another story.

(KK)

www.myspace.com/trees00

www.crucialblast.net