French band Dead Tree Seeds were formed in 2009, but up to now only had one LP under their belt, the 2013 Seeds of Thrash. Seven years and several line-up changes later, they are back with Push the Button. Will it have been worth the wait?
Depends on whether you like thrash metal. Cause this is very clearly old school thrash metal. Push the Button is a straight in your face, honest, no-nonsense thrash metal record. The influences of this band are probably myriad: listening to what they produce I assume they consume a lot of Kreator, Metallica, Testament, Megadeth, you name it. Thankfully though, it does not seem as if the band tried to emulate a certain sound or ride a wave of nostalgia. From the first second of the album to the very last, I get the distinct impression that this is what the band is naturally supposed to sound like. Very nice.
The records starts of with Thrash Tales, one of the two instrumental pieces on the record. They open with acoustic guitars that transition into a very nice groovy thrash riff plus fitting melodic solo on top. So far so good. This neatly leads into the first song, Fangs of the White Wolf, which was also their single release. They pick up the pace with this one, and Frank Vortex introduces himself on vocals with a long held high shriek. And I feel like he will be the deciding factor on whether you like this record or not. On my first playthrough I was a bit taken aback. He has a very distinct voice that fits quite well and he definitely gives it his all, switching between clean singing, screaming, growling and all in between. Some of the parts feel a bit forced though, as if he were slightly out of his comfort zone. On further listenings though, his vocals grew on me a lot. His rough-around-the-edges barking and screaming, sometimes a bit struggling, give the songs a certain urgency and sound very honest.
The craftsmanship of the instrumentalists is flawless. Francois Odonnet and Aurelien Gonzalez hammer out riffs like there is no tomorrow, and the solo parts are very skilled, very melodic and tasteful. Alexandre Prudent is tight on drums, giving every riff the fitting foundation, and shines on the very well placed fills. Sidi Assila completes the band on bass, and displays a very nice tone that rounds out the overall very good production.
Overall the French thrashers have won me over with a tightly knit offering of old school goodness. I have been bobbing my head throughout most of this very energetic record. The vocals might not be for everyone, but I highly recommend you give it a try. I hope to get the chance to see them live some day, and most of all I hope it will not take another seven years for their next record.
Born in ’88, living in Austria. I play guitar in various Blues / Rock / Metal projects and do my own amateurish music recording & production.
