Album Review: Savage Lands – Army of Trees

Savage Lands brings vein-jolting and honest music to Army of the Trees.

Recently, Arch Enemy shared the blockbuster video for their star-studded new single, Savage Lands, which features several fierce defenders of our natural habitat. This supergroup is not acting when preserving the world’s ecosystems. After witnessing how land developers are tearing down Costa Rica’s rain forest, Megadeth drummer Dirk Verbeuren and his old guitarist Sylvain Demercastel decided they would not sit around any longer.

Back in 2022, they started Savage Lands, which is the music industry’s first artist-run environmental non-profit. One hundred percent of the royalties from the organization’s first feature-length album will support their ongoing preservation projects in Costa Rica and other countries. Army of the Trees features members of Sepultura. The album is fantastic because of how the instrumentation and vocal performance smack the background with a metal vibe.

Kicking things off is “Black Rock Heart. ” What is amazing about the whole thing is that the vocal performances give the ditty a strong anthem kick that matches what the band stands for. The passion of wanting to protect the forest can be felt through each melodic and screaming vocal tone. Also, the instrumentation compliments the bold emotions by sizzling the atmosphere with mind-dazzling music.

“The Howl” is a different tune because the low-key and bittersweet guitar playing brings a sentimental feeling before a roaring vocal tone and clashing instrumentation smacks the background with hard-hitting noises that display the deep feelings Savage Lands has inside their hearts and souls. The guitar playing truly shines on this composition by providing deep and slick riffs that match the energy the rest of the band is playing on.

“Better Man” is a heavier tune thanks to Savage Lands performing a musical vibe with a blend of grunge and heavy metal. The feeling of wanting to become a better person is strongly felt through each riff, drum beat, and vocal pitch. In ways, I think some people can relate to this number because, at some point in our lives, we need to be better for ourselves and our world. “Better Man” is about changing our hearts before the world crumbles.

The title track is a top-notch composition that sees Savage Lands performing mind-dazzling metal music that expresses the band’s desire to do good things for the world. In many ways, the song is a battle cry to rally an army because the vocalists are constantly pleading to take a stand and protect the valuable forest. Also, the guitar and drum playing brings an extra kick of ear-bleeding sound with sizzling riffs and drum beats.

In music, many bands and artists have created albums that raise awareness about what is going on in our world. For Army of the Trees, Savage Lands does not waste time showing how important the environment is to them. The band also wants us to be open-minded when there are issues surrounding our environments.