The Killing Tree possess an enormous amount of potential in crafting intensely coarse hardcore anthems, as was apparent on the band's last outing, the impressive "The Romance Of Helen Trent". On their latest effort, the five song "We Sing Sin", this Chicago quartet continue spreading their roots further into the indie rock scene they have flirted with in the past. In the process they have retracted the vast majority of their metallic demeanor, delivering a collection of songs that rely more on cathartic angst than crushing force.

The brutality that has become synonymous with the band is staunchly at the forefront of The Killing Tree's sound, yet one quickly notices that while the group were dependent upon this alone to propel past efforts, the new material has been adjusted to accept more focused melodies. The intro to "Everything You Had Is Gone" bears an uncanny resemblance to recent Cave In, most notably with it's cascading guitars and surging bass-line, yet the band gracefully guide it towards screamo territory with little hesitation. The album's only true disaster is the band's inspired failure covering Soundgarden's "Jesus Christ Pose". While musically The Killing Tree execute it to near perfection, they crash and burn vocally, painfully bleating with off-key wails that crack and fade away with little warning. However courageous the group are for even attempting such a cover, one wonders why it found it's way onto this release considering it's poor execution. "Look Alive" thankfully saves the album from it's downhill slide and ends the disc on a positive note, thrashing about in agonizing rage before contorting into a surprisingly emotional explosion of residual bitterness and regret.

The Killing Tree have quickly stepped out of the shadows and found themselves fixed by the curious gaze of the burgeoning hardcore fan-base. As such, "We Sing Sin" is arguably the group's most important release to date. The band seem to realize this and their latest effort heroically attempts to expand upon their sound with varying results. The concepts captured here are haphazard and shaky, making it clear The Killing Tree have much more growth ahead of them. Despite their mistakes, or perhaps because of them, one can't help but have the desire to follow the band's progression. After all, it's better to fall to one's knees and walk once more then to never even risk taking that first step.