The Dreaming Tree - Silverfade

The Dreaming Tree are an Alternative/Progressive Rock group from the UK that launched back in the early 2000’s. They have released so far three albums and an EP. This year, they have released their fourth album entitled, Silverfade which was released on May the 4^th. The band considers Chris Buckler on Lead Vocals, Dan Jones on Guitar and Backing Vocals, Neil Simpson on Bass, Stephen Barratt on Keyboards, and Neil Ablard on Drums.

The music on here, I have to admit, I’m not really crazy about it, but the quintet really have a lot of energy and power in their sound. They really got something in their sound to carry both the essence of Alternative and Progressive Rock with a huge energetic force. At times, it’s both hard, aggressive, and melodic on Silverfade. And they switch it back and forth on the fourteen tracks that is on here.

And the five highlights on here, shows they have some potential. And mind you, again, I’m new into the Dreaming Tree’s music and I love the name of the band’s name. It’s very catchy and spiritual that fits the atmosphere of the group’s sound. I love the energetic sounds and synth sounds that Barratt does on his keyboards to create a driving rhythm beat with a thumping beat through the roads on Forever Not Ever.

But then, he brings a Hancock-like jazzier symphonic sound that reminisce of Ray Manzarek’s organ sounds through the wonders of time with an upbeat groove on Cherry Winters as Dan Jones lays onto the leading solos on his guitar that have a Floydian twist to it to see the trees blossom into the Fall weather that makes it a cooling beat. The two opening tracks (Yesterday’s Flowers, Heart Shaped Bodies) bring a combination of both the Progressive and Hard Rock sound with a driven, melodic, thumping attitude thanks to the adventurous beats of Dan Jones’ guitar.

The second track, brings the powers of Rush’s Moving Pictures-era as Dan carries the torch of Alex Lifeson’s virtuosic playing to bring a flaming torch and making sure that it doesn’t burn it out and he hits the notes perfectly. Autumn Haze for me, is a bluesy hard-rock in your face composition. It shows The Dreaming Tree go into a powerful force between Pink Floyd’s Wish You Were Here-era and UFO’s No Heavy Petting-era as if David Gilmour and Michael Schenker did a collaboration together and those two combinations work very well that make it sound like it was 1977 all over again.

This is my third time listening to Silverfade. And I’ll admit there are few hits and a few misses for me, but this is an okay album they have released this year. And even though it needs a little bit of growth and some work, they have done well so far for me. It needs some electrical juice and a bit of power in their music.