Review: “Exequial” by Deadwood Tree

Six long years after the release of their well received album “Mourn“, Spanish Sludge fuelled Post-Metal act Deadwood Tree returned with EP “Exequial“. An exploration of burden, isolation, death and the strange persistence of life around what we leave behind across four crushing tracks, it is said to expand the band horizons into wider spaces and is their first material together following the departure of guitarist Gonzalo Aeneas. Recorded and mixed by Toni Salvà (Vice City, SolNegre, Vulgar Chaos) at Diorama Sound in Mallorca and mastered by Howie Weinberg (Metallica, Pantera, Nirvana) in New York, it is also conjoined to artwork created by the aforementioned Gonzalo Aeneas (Dead Eye Wolves, Helevorn, Marasme).

The bands line up now consists of guitarist Javier Olivencia, bassist Joan Mayol and drummer Isidro Moron alongside vocalist and guitarist Curro Maestre, a quartet who prove that they still have the chemistry their previous record was built upon with opening cut “The Weight of the Stone“. Infusing weighty, crushing Sludge Metal riffs with haunting atmospheric leads it has the slow burn of Doom Metal and yet is so much more. The dynamics have a density to them even though the they are more expansive than some of the bands previous works and that ensures this one draw obvious comparisons with bands like Hundred Year Old Man or Helve because its both powerful and captivating at the same time.

Maestre screams over a haunting melody as “Slumber” takes shape, it’s mournful lament transforming into a something heavier as the Sludge riffs come crashing down. What’s impressive about it is that the band have matched the intensity of the lyrical narrative with a soundscape cut from the same cloth, the intricate drum fills and lead guitar meanderings wonderfully balanced. Over repeated listens they become more rewarding as moments of nuance rise to the surface.

Another dark, dense rhythmic pummelling “Tendrils” feels more in keeping with the opening cut of this collection, the vocals sounding like the winds of plague howling across a barren post-apocalyptic wasteland. Sonically soul stirring, this one will leave you in search of a magnifying glass and the lyric sheet before the night is over because despite the crushing weight of it all, its strangely uplifting.

There is an almost ethnic quality to some of the instrumental passages of “Burlap Shroud“, which has an eerie yet entrancing melody at its black beating heart. Taking its title from the name given the a woven fabric used to wrap a deceased persons body for a natural rather than casket burial, the piece is emotive with the harsh vocals carrying the weight of someone who has loved and lost. Arguably the most potent of the collection, this final puzzle piece is a demonstration of what the future may hold for Deadwood Tree, who are capable of moving mountains with just the tips of their fingers [8/10]

Track Listing

1. The Weight of the Stone
2. Slumber
3. Tendrils
4. Burlap Shroud

“Exequial” by Deadwood Tree is out 11th September 2026 and is available over at bandcamp.