A LULLABY FOR THE DEVIL

I've only heard one other DEADSOUL TRIBE album besides this one, 2003's "A Murder of Crows". "A Lullaby For The Devil" is another enjoyable experience that, at moments, comes close to greatness.

As I said before, this band's greatest influence seems to be TOOL. But now I hear more elements of other bands in the music of DEADSOUL TRIBE. I hear some PAIN OF SALVATION, I hear some SYMPHONY X ( even though it's not evident at once, it's there), but, of course, what I mostly hear is a group of musicians who mix all their references and create a sound that they can call their own.

The music, though, has suffered some changes (which is obvious if two albums and 4 years have passed since the last album I heard from them), and not all for the best. I hear a more direct, more traditional progressive metal band, with less hints of TOOL than before and a little more of the old school. At the same time, the great choruses and rhythms which were some of the things I loved from "A Murder of Crows" are not here, except in rare occasions. The songs are much simpler and the melodies much weaker, and the album is badly arranged, with weak tracks opening it, even though halfway through it starts to get much better.

An example of this is the absolutely mediocre album opener, "Psychosphere", which has no discernable tune or melody and no elements of interest, driven by a rather generic bass line. The next song, "Goodbye City Lights", is much better, but "Here Come the Pigs" is, again, generic. "Lost in You" is the first track that sounds like the DEADSOUL TRIBE I knew long ago, with good melody, a TOOL-like atmosphere, and the drummer driving the song home. "A Stairway to Nowhere" is very atmospheric and narcotic, though not incredibly original. The ending, though, is very good. "The Gossamer Strand" is an absolute triumph, an instrumental song where Graves makes a fine display of flute skills, in a very melodic and beautiful track that gets rougher and heavier halfway down. This is the highest point in the album. "Any Sign at All" is a bass-driven track with constant TOOL-references, but the unique twist of DEADSOUL TRIBE. "Fear" is an acoustic peaceful song that reminds us of 70's bands like PINK FLOYD. The second half of the song also contains grunge references. "Further Down" starts with a riff not unlike DREAM THEATER, and a verse a la FATES WARNING. Sadly, like the first track on this record, this one goes nowhere with no melody or theme to develop. The final song, the title-track, is one of the best in the album, even though it has a distinct "nu-metal" sound at times.

The musicianship was a problem in my previous experience with this band, not because any member wasn't an expert on his instrument, but ironically because the drummer was too-good and could never restrain himself even for a minute. 4 years after, I can say that Moustafa has matured, as we hear a much better drummer who plays it complex when it's needed and simpler when it's necessary. Graves is a great guitarist and flutist, as are the bassist and the second guitarist. The sound of the album, though, is not that good. The recording is not crystal-clear, with the drums being buried in the mix, and the snare drum sounding very similar to a piece of iron.

In a few words, "A Lullaby for The Devil" is a good album that fails to achieve greatness or even an excellent status due to the imperfect balance between strong and weak songs, and due to the slight drop in melodic quality evident in it.

It's still an enjoyable experience that would appeal to any progressive-metal listener. But if you're new to the band, try "A Murder of Crows" first.