By: Tordah

Posted: Mar 22, 2006

Deadsoul Tribe is the "new" band of Devon Graves, former vocalist in the now defunct progressive metal band Psychotic Waltz. Devon writes and composes all the music and lyrics in Deadsoul Tribe and has three skilled musicians to help him out to perform his ideas. The atmosphere and sound is familiar from the previous albums and it's easy to get into.

The music is very laid back and complex even though the guitar-riffs and bass-lines are quite simplistic. The way they seem to drift in and out seamlessly during the songs to give room for the other instruments is impressive. Sometimes it’s only the bass and drums playing during the verses and the guitars enter during the choruses to give the music more power. The drum-work is very interesting here and unlike any other band I've heard in the progressive metal genre. Adel Moustafa brings in lots of tribal-like rhythms to the music with extensive use of many different toms. It certainly gives the band an unique feel and sound. The vocals by Devon Graves are as always very good and emotional. His voice is the core and heart of the band after all. I also think that "The Dead Word" features some of his best and most memorable lyrics yet. The production is very good and organic and suits the music well. There's a slight echo-effect on the vocals in some songs that makes them seem more distant and it sounds quite cool. In some songs there are also some melodies played on the flute and I think they are done very tastefully.

The compositions are good and the songs have just the right amount of atmosphere and emotion. The tribal rhythms fit in surprisingly well in the picture and makes the songs more interesting. The only thing that really disappointed me on this album was the song 'Someday'. Not because it's the worst song but because it's the best song, yet sadly the shortest one. This is a very powerful piece of music that features only an acoustic piano and Devon's amazing voice. Unfortunately when you expect it to really start building up into a killer track it stops after only 1 min and 33 seconds. What the hell? Devon should've have built more on the few ideas he had for this. It was the most emotional and beautiful moment on the whole album and he abandoned it. Incredibly frustrating!

In conclusion, "The Dead Word" is another solid Deadsoul Tribe release and that could also be considered its biggest weakness. The album seems pretty much identical to the previous Deadsoul Tribe albums in both sound and shape. This might not be so strange since the band has released 4 albums in a very short time-span (one album every year since 2002). Those who have heard the previous albums by the band know exactly what to expect and won't be disappointed this time either. If you like Devon Graves vocals and/or want some different prog music that doesn't feature instrumental wankery then Deadsoul Tribe should be right up your alley.

Rating: 7/10

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