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DeadSoul Tribe - A Lullaby For The Devil CD (album) cover

A LULLABY FOR THE DEVIL

DeadSoul Tribe

 

Experimental/Post Metal

3.74 | 137 ratings

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Gatot
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator
4 stars Deadsoul Tribe was founded in 2000 by Devon Graves, former member of Psychotic Waltz. A year later the debut album Deadsoul Tribe was released and proved to be a success with former Psychotic Waltz fans and beyond. Graves is the singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist whose music is both philosophical and challenging. Everything I write has a message, an approach to poetry, he says. It's the major function of poetry not to provide answers, but to raise questions - to be thought provoking and to create space for individual interpretations. Together with drummer Adel Moustafa, who also plays the drums on the records, the guitarist Roland `Rollz` Kerschbaumer and bass player Roland Ivenz, Deadsoul Tribe is known for their stirring stage performance. [official DsT site]. Devon made an original concept for Deadsoul Tribe in 1999 and he acted as Songwriter, Producer, Lead Guitar, Lead Vocalist, Overlord. His favorites range from Jethro Tull to Pink Floyd, Black Sabbath, Hendrix and Zappa.

Excellent Music, Inspiring Lyrics!

The opening track "Psychosphere" (3:36) is basically a metal song with repeated riffs and nice melody. The second track "Goodbye City Life" (8:27) amazes me in a way that this song has combined great composition (multi-style and multi-mood structure) with philosophical lyrics written using simple words. I really cannot afford to separate the music from its lyrics which reminds me as a Moslem I should strive to seek the paths to Allah The Great The Merciful. The whole lyrics of this song are captivating and reflective for me personally. The title in itself can be read as "goodbye the temporary world". Yes, as a Moslem I do believe that the world we live in is very temporarily whereby there would be life after this world. Devon brings the message clearly: Look at you Where you going to / Do you find that piece of mind that you're trying to, Deep inside of you? On the other words he continues with this important message: Start to think nothing you hold to is real / Save for tomorrow, but today You throw it away, throw it away. It's so inspiring lyrics! On the musical part, this song starts beautifully with ambient nuance backed with drumming at the back followed with grandiose riffs that remind me to Opeth or Porcupine Tree. It suddenly turns mellow with acoustic guitar and nice piano work accompanying catchy melody on first lyrical part. You can find also Floydian guitar at the end of first verse and the music is getting louder with "Look at you ." lyrical part. It's a great musical experience!

"Here Come The Pigs" (4:01) is a heavy blast of music with great riffs combining bass guitar and guitar and dynamic drumming. Guitar solo appears in between passages. "Lost In You" (4:55) flows in similar vein with the previous track with nice singing part. Until this track I can capture the overall musical style of Deadsoul Tribe that combines atmospheric progressive metal with some sudden changes that work smoothly as you can find in Opeth or Porcupine tree or Tool. You might say this track is in the vein of Tool.

"A Stairway To Nowhere" (6:35) is another song with inspiring lyrics and excellent musical composition. The opening part really reminds me a combination of Peter Gabriel "The Rhythm of The Heat" and Tool kind of music. It's so wonderful opening part! When the vocal line enters the music, it brings the whole music is captivating. "The Gosamer Strand" (6:21) tones the music down with a mellow piano work that continues with nice FLUTE work! Yes .the uniqueness of this album (band) is the use of flute in metal work where I have never found any metal band uses flute in their music. The nice part is when the Floydian guitar work is combined with flute. On the heavy part this song moves brilliantly with flute as lead melody. Imagine this: Dream Theater hires Ian Anderson to replace Jordan Rudess! Unbelieveable!!! This is really great and it satisfies my taste to the fullest. This is the first time I enjoy instrumental progressive metal music with flute (instead of guitar or keyboard) as lead melody. Bravo Deadsoul Tribe! You all are metalheads with classic rock minds!

"Any Sign At All" (6:17) starts like the opening track "Psychosphere" where bass guitar work is used as the main rhythm section of the music, augmented by drumwork. The interlude part in the middle of the track - where bass guitar and guitar play together combined with percussion - reminds me to Tool. The music turns into softer style in "Fear" (4:24) and going up again with heavy riffs in "Further Down" (2:57). The album concludes with the album title track "A Lullaby For The Devil" (6:13) which starts beautifully with piano work and melodic singing part followed later with heavy riffs music. Again the lyrics are great. Observe this: Forget about today / Let it drift away / Let your logic go / Let the feeling grow followed with Let go of all your hate / Let it dissipate / Find the love within / Let the dream begin. It's so encouraging lyrics that invite us to have a positive thinking. The music riffs that accompany this song remind me to "Kashmir" of Led Zeppelin.

Overall, I tend to give five star rating for this album the first time I know Deadsoul Tribe music. But, I'd rather keep another star for future observation as I need to avoid the 'hallo effects'. If you ask me, honestly, I am really impressed with the fact that this is the first time I listen to a progressive metal music with flute! From this point - let alone melodic and tight composition of the album - I am already amazed. This is then coupled with inspiring messages the lyrics bring into the music. As I told you, as a Moslem I truly believe that there will be world after this world. And there is price we have to pay to enter the next world happily and peacefully. Having considered this, personally I think this album is a masterpiece. But as this site has grown significantly as the most complete and comprehensive website you can find on the net for progressive music (of course with wide variety of audience background and tastes), I'd rather give this an excellent plus overall rating (four star +). Highly recommended. Keep on proggin' ..!

Credit:

Thanks to Nirarta who showed me the path to this band .He is my prog mate who live in different island in Indonesia and once sent me a short message to my cellular saying: "Have you heard Deadsoul Tribe? - A progressive metal music with flute! Opo tumon ?! (a term in Javanese that translates something like :"Can you imagine that??!!!").

Peace on earth and mercy mild - GW (i-Rock! Music Community)

Gatot | 4/5 |

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