A MURDER OF CROWS

Three and a half star. "A Murder Of Crows" is the second recording by Dead Soul Tribe, a band formed by charismatic vocalist Devon Graves, previously known as Buddy Lackey. Devon was the vocalist of a legend band Psychotic Waltz so the expectations for his new group were very big. The self titled debut of Dead Soul Tribe was released in 2002 and, to be honest, didn't fully meet my expectations. Well off course the songs had the same dark mood that Psychotic Waltz compositions, but overall they weren't as complex and adventurous.

But how about Dead Soul Tribe second recording? The dark mood remained and, what's even more important, the compositions became more interesting. "A Murder Of Crows" is a semi-concept album that deals with isolation and individualism in the society. The lyrics are poetic and often somewhat surreal. The songs are at times hard edged, and sometimes calm and atmospheric. Sometimes simple, sometimes very progressive. Still, always they remain very disturbing.

The music by Dead Soul Tribe isn't for the faint hearted but if you enjoy the darker side of progressive rock music, it will definitely appeal to you. Recommended, but still this isn't on the quality level that Psychotic Waltz had accustomed us to.