Founded on the ashes of Sentenced, Fall of the Leafe and Poisonblack, The Man-Eating Tree was founded in 2009. After a solid debut, the band around mastermind Janne Markus perfected gothic metal with "Harvest" (2011), which is still one of my favourite albums ever. Since then, things have been going downhill: line-up changes and other problems caused the band to take four years to release "In the Absence of Light", which also brought a shift in style to heavier music, with growling vocals and (melodic) death metal influeces. It then took another four years for a single to be released, and in all honesty I had already given up on The Man-Eating Tree, considering the silence ever since.
However, in 2024 the tree came back to life! With an entirely new line-up, most notably former Ghost Brigade singer Manne Ikonen, Markus set out to revive his band and find fresh inspiration. The result of that is called "Night Verses", which is a continuation of the band's heavier direction. It's hard to put a label on The Man-Eating Tree, but let's just call it a mix of gothic and doom/death metal, with a focus on atmosphere and melancholy. In fact, partially due to Ikonen's characteristic vocals, "Night Verses" gives me quite a Ghost Brigade vibe, without losing the typical elements that define The Man-Eating Tree.
I have to admit that it took me a few spins to get into the album, but once the songs settled in my head, "Night Verses" really started growing on me. Janne Markus' songwriting just never disappoints, and he always hits the mark with either crushing riffs or howling leads. And how great is it to have Manne Ikonen back? His growls are still fantastic, while his clean vocals emphasize the melancholic aspects of the music in a truly unique way. In terms of highlights, I am particularly impressed by 'To the Sinking' and 'Abandoned', both being excellent showcases of the band's many qualities.
Having been a fan of The Man-Eating Tree for about 15 years now, I might be a little biased, but it's great to have this band back. Considering the quality of "Night Verses", there still is plenty of life in the band, so I hope this will be a successful restart with more to come. Welcome back, it's been too long!
I have to admit that it took me a few spins to get into the album, but once the songs settled in my head, "Night Verses" really started growing on me. Janne Markus' songwriting just never disappoints, and he always hits the mark with either crushing riffs or howling leads. And how great is it to have Manne Ikonen back? His growls are still fantastic, while his clean vocals emphasize the melancholic aspects of the music in a truly unique way. In terms of highlights, I am particularly impressed by 'To the Sinking' and 'Abandoned', both being excellent showcases of the band's many qualities.
Having been a fan of The Man-Eating Tree for about 15 years now, I might be a little biased, but it's great to have this band back. Considering the quality of "Night Verses", there still is plenty of life in the band, so I hope this will be a successful restart with more to come. Welcome back, it's been too long!
For fans of: Ghost Brigade, Paradise Lost, Swallow the Sun
Release date: 11/04/2025
Released by: Noble Demon
Website: https://themaneatingtree.fi/
Website: https://themaneatingtree.fi/
