"When this record is done, I'll go into the woods, cut down some trees to get rid of any leftover energy and then take a really long nap," Screaming Trees bassist Van Conner says with a heavy sigh.

The Screaming Trees' seventh album, 'Dust', has turned into the hangover that won't go away. The group recorded a full album in Seattle in 1994 but scrapped it, except for one song. Conner and his brother, guitarist Gary Lee, along with singer Mark Lanegan and drummer Barrett Martin, spent six months hammering out new ideas with producer George Drakoulias (the Jayhawks, Black Crowes), which led to intense recording sessions in two Los Angeles studios and finally to mixing in New York. (The album is scheduled for a June 25 release.)

"We're the kind of guys who need time away from each other," says Lanegan, alluding to tales of drunken fist-fights throughout the band's 10-year career. The Seattle group toured relentlessly for two years after 1992's 'Sweet Oblivion' then raced to record a follow-up. "It was too soon, and none of us were ready to interact," Lanegan says. Now the group has made what Van Conner calls "one album for the price of two."

The hefty price tag - Lanegan will only say that "it's a fair amount" - may be worth it. Previous albums, such as 'Sweet Oblivion' and 'Even If And Especially When' (1987), have contained flashes of brilliance, but the new album is the Trees' most consistently inspired effort. "Dime Western", "All I Know" and "Halo Of Ashes" feature swirling psychedelic guitars, galloping rhythms and Lanegan's two-packs-a-day growl. The brooding ballad "Look At You" could be the twisted love song for the summer of '96, while the bruising rocker "Dying Days" swells to a climax courtesy of Pearl Jam's guitarist Mike McCready.

The Trees don't throw any curveballs, but fresh elements have been added to the mix. The tracks are sprinkled with string arrangements, harpsichord and piano, and Lanegan even manages to sing falsetto. But one track that didn't make the cut was an untitled song written for Lanegan by his friend Kurt Cobain. "We didn't think it was appropriate to record it," Lanegan says. "I wouldn't want to rob my friend's grave, [and] that's the way it felt to me, coming so soon after his death. It was a real Kurt-type song, and putting it next to these songs, I don't think it would have fit in."

The usually testy Lanegan isn't ready for a group hug, but he *is* happy with how the band got along this time around. "The only time I got into a fight on this record was when George attacked *me* and browbeat me into a corner," he says, laughing.

Drakoulias is known for his hands-on approach to producing, and he sometimes elbows musicians out of the way, but he proved to be a good match for Screaming Trees. "We tried to experiment a little on 'Sweet Oblivion', but we didn't have the time," Lanegan says. "This time, George encouraged our misbehaviour, and everyone indulged their little fantasies."

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