Single Slam – Tree of Life by Tragul

Symphonic power metal band, Tragul, have released a new single called Tree of Life. The band formed in 2016 have released three singles prior to this one.

Tragul feature a powerhouse of guest musicians joining founding member and keyboardist Adrian Benegas, also of Pergana. Diabulus in Musica’s Zuberoa Aznarez is on vocals while Flotsam and Jetsam’s Steve Conley is on guitars. Alex Holzwarth (ex Rhapsody of Fire) is on the drums and  Oliver Holzwarth (ex Blind Guardian, ex Rhapsody of Fire, ex Tarja) is the bassist. Not a bad line up.

The Tree of Life single with accompanying video premiered exclusively on Bravewords.com.

Founder and keyboardist Adrian Benegas had the following to say about the new song – “Our latest single ‘The Tree of Life’ is about hope, we wanted to give the fans a song they can relate to when they have had hard times. From its flowing melodies, powerful choruses, and a nice blend of the instrumental parts. We like to introduce a pleasant listening experience: nice sounds and beautifully executed vocals.”

Tree of Life is just under 4 minutes long and you can really hear the Nightwish inspiration. Big soaring guitars start the track off before it fades into a gentle symphonic section. Zuberoa Aznarez comes in with operatic, classically trained vocals. She has a lovely voice and the little bit of backing she gets gives her voice added power and depth though I doubt she needs it. You get an occasional bit of chug in the background from the bass and guitars but they are mostly in the background. They do come forward in the chorus with power metal styled soaring lines which are welcome.

They keys lay a foundation below everything, cropping up occasionally to add a little extra symphony. The drums are fine, medium paced for the most part and often a little muted behind the vocal driven ballad. There is a very nice solo nearing the end where the guitars and drums step it up a bit. It is really enjoyable before the chorus comes in and repeats until the end.

Tree of Life is a nice song and is both is well played and well sung. It is really Nightwish like so if you are a fan of them, you will love this. It doesn’t quite have the infectious chorus of early Nightwish material but there is a lot to enjoy. I do wish they would give the guitars and drums a bit more oomph. I think it would really elevate a very good song to a great one. Overall, I did enjoy Tree of Life though and will be keeping an eye out for the album and more from Tragul.

Check out Tree of Life over at Bravewords here. More from Tragul is available at the links below this article. You can also pick it up from CD Baby, iTunes, Amazon, and Spotify by clicking the links. You can find out more about Tragul at their website, on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. Be sure to give them a like or follow while you are there.

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