Country of origin:Spain
Location:Málaga, Andalusia
Status:Active

Formed in:2015
Genre:Atmospheric Post-Black Metal
Lyrical themes:Nature
Current label:The Moon on a String Productions
Years active:2015-present

DISCOGRAPHY

Trees, Clouds & Silence Full-length 2016
Let Me Die on Your Roots Full-length 2018

current line up

Ocram Vocals, Guitars, Bass, Drum programming (2015-present)
See also: Ocram, Thyrant, Caacrinolaas, ex-Nox Invicta, ex-Tsar Bomb, ex-Gates of Irkalla

reviews

A beautiful debut that could be better still - 70%
NausikaDalazBlindaz, May 11th, 2016
In case the name isn't that obvious, the Spanish band Trees, Clouds & Silence is a nature-based project inspired by and dedicated to the forests and mountains of sole proprietor Ocram's homeland in Andalusia. This self-titled debut album is an enjoyable travelogue into the country; it might not promise high Himalayan peaks and crags, the weather reaches no great extremes in temperatures or wind movements, and chasers of blizzards, tornadoes and earthquakes might want to look elsewhere, but there's plenty of good post-BM melody to relax to and immerse ourselves in.

In parts, TC&S's sound is probably a bit thinner than it could or should be - the percussion is more whippy than powerful compared to the steely-edged tremolo guitars - but apart from that detail the music is expressive, with mood ranging from wistfulness and longing, sometimes melancholy, to dreamy trance. The guitars are very clear and the bass can be heard clearly too, if its melody differs from the rest of the track. Intro track "Sometimes I Dream, Sometimes I Breathe" is a portal into Ocram's world that sets the tone and what we can expect from the music, the other tracks taking us further into its paths and detours. "In the Riverbed" is more relaxed and dreamy, and includes laidback acoustic guitar melodies that bring in a pensive, reflective feeling. The music builds up through repetition and layering into a complex creature mixing pace, urgent and shrill BM guitar runs, some bouncy drumming for a change and what could be crooning spirit choirs in the background.

"When the Sun Heats My Face" can be an odd track for listeners as the percussion and rhythms don't quite match the melodies, and it's possible that the music should be a bit slower and more dreamy than it is. The programmed drumming tends to overpower the music and the force of the emotion, especially in the faint singing, is diluted. The same problem appears in the following track where again the spider-thin raspy vocals, the distant keening choirs and some beautiful passages of melting electric guitar pass under the drumming and snaky or hissy synth-cymbals. The riffs are starting to sound a bit generic and tired as well.

The album features some very beautiful if not always very distinctive music - the riffs don't stand out much and after the halfway mark the album is in need of inspiration and originality. TC&S does not do anything that other melodic post-BM / post-rock acts with a nature orientation haven't done before. The music is meant to be dreamy and to bring listeners into closer contact with nature and the spirit world but the percussion and sometimes tired music are major discouragements.

It might be worth TC&S's while to introduce Andalusian folk music elements and ideas into the music - the area is famous for rich musical traditions like flamenco and the use of improvisation in its genres - if only to get rid of those annoying synth drums that don't do much for the album.