A MURDER OF CROWS

A Murder of Crows is the second album from american metal band Deadsoul Tribe. Deadsoul Tribe is the brainchild of Devon Graves who is the former frontman in progressive metal band Psychotic Waltz. The debut album from Deadsoul Tribe was a good solid metal album but nothing special really. Personally I had expected more from Deadsoul Tribe being a big fan of Psychotic Waltz, but I must admit that I was a bit disappointed after listening to that album even though it´s good ( just not excellent.

A Murder of Crows continues the style which was introduced on the debut which means pretty basic metal power chord riffing and an overall psychadelic sound which is mostly due to the way Devon sings. Devon also plays a lot of flute on this album which has become one of his trademarks. This time around the music seems a bit more cohesive and interesting and a song like In a Garden made of Stones even moves me a bit. The rest of the songs also have a high quality level but like on the debut this just isn´t my favorite style of music. The playing is too generic and not challenging enough for my ears. This is clearly music made for your emotions and not for your mind. I usually like the combination. If it´s music that speaks only to my emotions it has to be a bit more special than this.

The musicianship is great and Devon Graves is a great singer even though he is a bit more restrained than he was while he fronted Psychotic Waltz. The other musicians are also good. Just don´t expect wailing solos ( I hear a couple of solos, but they are nothing special) or quick intrumental runs. The busy drummer Adel Moustafa is also worth a listen.

The production is better than the one on the debut but it´s still not a sound I enjoy much.

The cover art is great. Sombre and kind of eerie.

A Murder of Crows is a good album, but personally this is not the kind of music I listen to very often mainly due to the lack of interesting instrumental sections. The simple power chord riffing just gets on my nerves after a while ( only Black Sabbath can pull that off with a completely satisfying result). The album is well worth the 3 stars I´ll give it though.