Screaming Trees – Last Words: The Final Recordings

Having bookended the ‘grunge era’ with the albums Sweet Oblivion and Dust, yet failing to capitalise on the situation, Screaming Trees officially split in 2000, leaving this document of their final songs  to be shelved for over a decade. Its release in 2011 comes apropos of nothing in particular, merely serving as a curio for long-time fans. Shorn of the psychedelic guitar flourishes and inventive time-changes of predecessor Dust, Last Words feels somewhat sedate and by-numbers in comparison.

Tracks like Ash Gray Sunday, Revelator and Black Rose Way show promise but lack bite, while Crawlspace ignites a spark of something genuinely menacing but feels smothered by what surrounds it. Penultimate tracks Low Life and Anita Grey fare better, with Mark Lanegan’s soulful growl elevating some decent studio jams. Ultimately though, these final recordings should be approached by fans only, and even then they may feel these ‘words’ constitute a disappointing epitaph for a band that deserved better. [Darren Carle]