🎶 If These Trees Could Talk
🌎Ohio, U.S.A.
📀 The Hidden Hand
® Metal Blade Records
📅 10/07/2026
Listening to an instrumental album is never an easy task. It requires dedication from the listener and, above all, compositional maturity from the artist in order to maintain interest throughout without the aid of lyrics or vocal lines. IF THESE TREES COULD TALK understand this challenge well. With more than twenty years of experience behind them, the post-rock outfit from Akron, Ohio returns ten years after the excellent “The Bones of a Dying World”, picking up exactly where they left off.
“The Hidden Hand” consists of nine compositions, although in practice some of them function as unified musical chapters. Opening track “Archons” essentially serves as an introduction to “Moon Machine“, laying the groundwork and preparing listeners for the distinctive atmosphere the quintet gradually builds throughout the album. Likewise, “Silence Between Mountains Pt. 1” and “Pt. 2” rely on highly melodic and atmospheric guitar work to create the illusion of standing in the eternal solitude of a forest, where the only thing capable of disturbing the silence is a gentle breeze passing through the dense branches of the trees.
Between these musical “pairings” lies the decidedly more post-metal-oriented “Sea of Glass”, where Zack Kelly’s drumming drives the constant rhythmic shifts. It is followed by “Blurry Creatures“, which stands out as the only track featuring any form of vocals, however subtle. If you were to ask me which song I would most like to hear with full vocals, this would be my choice, as the listening experience already left me with the feeling that lyrics were somehow missing.
As the album approaches its conclusion, “Metanoia” emerges as one of its strongest moments. It begins with an almost uplifting groove before transitioning into a cinematic soundscape, built upon the layered guitar lines of Kalal, Kelly, and Socrates. The penultimate track, “Flim”, is a slow- to mid-tempo piece in which IF THESE TREES COULD TALK experiment with a different guitar tone, one that feels more modern and brighter in character. The curtain falls with the emotionally charged and concise “Endlessly Connected“, whose lack of drums gives it an almost ethereal texture.
“The Hidden Hand” functions like an invisible hand touching the listener’s soul and guiding it through a musical journey. Not an especially intense one, but a journey filled with emotions that each listener may interpret differently depending on their own state of mind. The three layered guitars remain the album’s most distinctive feature, the production is predictably clean enough to ensure that no detail is lost along the way, and the balance between melody and intensity is excellent. On the other hand, IF THESE TREES COULD TALK seem reluctant to embrace experimentation, choosing instead to remain within familiar territory.
“The Hidden Hand” is unlikely to be regarded as a groundbreaking statement within atmospheric post-metal or post-rock, whether instrumental or otherwise. Nevertheless, it rewards the band’s followers with yet another imposing and captivating album.
★ 8/10
✍🏻 Kostas Boudoukos
