### Terminal: Tree of lie

#### 13/04/10 || Euthanatos

When Lord K threw this CD on the “you fuckers have to do this, because the label sent it to us” pile, he described it as being “pretentious as fuck”. For some reason, I though that was funny, and decided to steer clear of the other albums on that batch and go for that particular CD. Naturally, I had no idea what to expect, apart from an amalgam of musical genres.

Curiously, Terminal isn’t an atrocious mish-mash of weirdness. We can safely categorize them as progressive metal, and I’m sure no one would be offended. On their MySpace, they cite Pain of Salvation as a main influence, and that’s quite accurate. It was the first band that came to mind when listening to “Tree of Lie”. I do have some beefs with this album/band, though.

The vocals are surprisingly good, as is the vocalist’s English, which isn’t something common coming from Poland. Good grasp of the English language, not good singing, I mean. But even while his vocals are good and his English crystal clear, this Daniel Moszczynski fella sounds dangerously close to a boy-band singer. Sure, some people like that, some may go as far as saying there are frightful similarities between melodic metal and American pop, but, hey, I’m drawing a fucking line here. What I’m trying to say is, Daniel’s vocals can sound too “clean” and “sweet”, too “commercial” even. I’m pretty sure I’m not putting this right, but I’m hoping you’ll get the gist. I’d like some aggressiveness, that’s all. He brings it out at times, but not nearly enough.

Also, at times, Terminal’s influence from Pain of Salvation becomes blatant copying. Even the singer’s name is also Daniel! Coincidence? I think not. Very fishy indeed. Anyway, take the 5th track on the album, “Behind The Mask”. It shows a sad attempt at mimicking Daniel Gildenlöw’s “rapping” moments. No. Just, no. Do not do that ever again. It’s annoying enough when he does it, I don’t need this becoming a trend.

Instrumentally, I have no qualms about Terminal, quite the contrary, everyone is more than apt in their gig. Songwriting-wise, I would like a little variety. While Terminal has chosen a specific niche and thrown themselves desperately into it, some growth would do them much good. They have some splendid ideas and certainly have the talent for execution. They just need some more experience. And remove all rapping. Seriously. Please.

If you like Pain of Salvation, there’s a chance you might enjoy this, although, be warned, the similarities may be off-putting. Bold, yes, pretentious, oh, dear God, totally, but there’s quality here, and I’m curious enough to see what else Terminal will bring out of that bag.

Word to your mother.

The cover: Bit obvious, innit?

- Information
- Released: 2010
- Label: Revolution Records
- Website: www.terminal.fm
- Band
- Daniel Moszczynski: vocals
- Patryk Zukowski: guitars
- Jacek Rychly: guitars
- Bartez Pietsch: bass
- Daniel Grupa: piano
- Greg Dziamka: drums

- Tracklist
- 01. The Beginning
- 02. Afterlife
- 03. Mind Destruction
- 04. Together Apart
- 05. Behind The Mask
- 06. Brand New Sin
- 07. Deep Inside
- 08. The Maze
- 09. Evil Machine
- 10. Tree Of Lie
- 11. Game Of War
- 12. The End