Burial Tree – “Outer Dark” – [Not On Label]

abacus   1/4/2012   A Library, CD

Burial Tree: tree or structure used for supporting a corpse or coffin. Gritty, sludgy funeral doom? No. Stark and forsaken? Yes! The album opens with a Hank Williams cover delivered solo cello style in the spookiest most tortuous rendition possible, then the rest alternates between ominous windblown drones and desert-dirge rock epics. 3,4 and 6 contain the headbangers, with ceaselessly subdued, infectious riffing in the vein of 90s slowcore vamping with subtle prog and psych elements. The drone tracks 2,5 are expectedly dark and blissfully brooding. The album closes with another unsettling cello solo backed by some church-like moody moogscapes. Hop on your harley and ride out along the barren desert landscape!