A LULLABY FOR THE DEVIL

I must say I've always doubted Devon Graves (Buddy Lackey) on one thing... and that is writing music. After all in Psychotic Waltz, the guitarists wrote most of the first album and the second album was a group effort, but once Graves appeared to take over, the music became both less interesting and less complex. This trend continued into the Deadsoul Tribe albums, and it looked like each album was actually getting worse. I do like a lot of the material from later Psychotic Waltz and Deadsoul Tribe up until now and think it's very good, but it always seemed to be missing something.

All of a sudden, the trend turns full circle and we've got what I feel is a solid candidate for album of the year. I would say "don't ask me how" because I really am shocked, but the fact is I know almost exactly how. Devon found what was lacking and that was ATMOSPHERE. This is easily his best album as both a producer and songwriter. Winding layers of vocals, guitar, bass, drums, piano, flute, and even some electronics all combine to make this an album which is a unique sonic experience.

It also avoids all the damning flaws of most prog metal. The long showy solos are replaced by short solos which ooze emotion. Emphasis is not on being technical, it is on being emotional. No effort seems to be put towards making it sound progressive. Instead, Devon knows the messages and emotions he wants to get across, and uses those as the inspiration behind the music. It's his honesty that makes the music "progressive", and that's why it stands out as being better than the other 100 prog metal bands that aim to be like Dream Theater, only better. He sees no boundaries relating to commercial obligations or obligations to please a particular group of fans.

This album is above immature pretentiousness. Devon draws from so many diverse kinds of music without taking the elitist attitude that restricts so many prog bands today. What I mean basically is if he felt like rap would best set the atmosphere and convey the desired emotions, he would not hesitate to do just that: rap.

Oh yeah, I think the rest of the band is good too and so are the songs, but I've said what I have to say and it's really up to you to listen to the music. Not everyone WILL like all of the tracks or even the album as a whole. I'm not even saying anything is perfect, I'm really just saying I think this album is what should be considered "a masterpiece of progressive music". If nothing else, it just shows that Prog IS NOT dead, it's just ugly on the surface.

I think that every fan of deAdsoul tribe waited this album like the previous ones for the same reason: to see if finally Devon can exceed "A Murder of Crows". And in my opinion this is the last time that this question will torture us. To me it was easier for this review to firstly write the epilogue than the main part.

That's beause finally the critical step has been made. Devon and Adel transformed their music in a way that made it unique. No more resemblances with Tool or I don't know what. This is pure and genuine. And it is genius. They totally redefined their style with a new more mystical and hazy production and a strange blend of their instruments and voices, of their sounds. They kept all the good things of their music, all the reasons that we like these guys and added great new ideas that glued perfrectly.

And apart from experimenting Devon still has the magic touch. In this album he creates masterpieces, the one different from the other. The use of the flute is wisely extended cause this music needs it. And you can feel that this album just like the previous gets really personnal. It has many emotional passages and one of the most needed things in prog: the music is evolving and less repetitive. You can find here catchy songs and riffs, psychedelic moments, melodic and thrashy parts and the usual solid and breathtaking drumming of Adel. No comments are needed for Devon's voice just listen to the special edition with the video of the unplugged performance of Devon - highly recommended. To be honest since I saw them live last year I had that feeling that they are about to spread their wings and make something geat and different. By the way seeing them live is an experience that I strongly suggest to any prog fan since they are far better on stage. And Devon's voice will stick to your brain for a long time.

So is it better than AMOC? The answer is that it's so different that every comparison will be unfair. They have a new identity now and I confess that I like it. This year has a lot of interesting albums from major bands of Prog metal but none of them actually get far from their roots and their sound. None except deadsoul tribe. And if progressive is a synonym for experiment then this album is the strongest candidate for album of the year.

This album is great! There is so much atmosphere and solos, one can say that they have shown their progressive side. Until now, A Murder of Crows was accessed as their heaviest moment. I mean sure, there are heavy riffs in January Tree and Dead Word. But Murder of Crows stood above them. Lullaby for the Devil, well, I can safely say it is a ablum that has surpassed Murder of Crows. There is a number of heavy riffs and so many solos that I find myself asking was this THE Deadsoul Tribe I had been following and listening to for three years. Personal favourites would include Here come the Pigs, Lost in You and Lullaby for the Devil. The instrumental Gossamer Stand shows some really interesting flute music, something I found unique in Deadsoul Tribe. For fans, this album might be different from their previous attempts but I am sure you won't be dissapointed!

I am by no means a fan of metal, or even progressive metal. I have a huge respect and love for avant-garde bands who delve into metal territory. But bands in the stream of Dream Theater, Ayreon, and Pain of Salvation simply don't do a thing for me. I can't pierce the veil of deceit surrounding them. I call it deceit because I feel like I'm being cheating when I listen to this sort of music. Every song just pumps relentlessly a powerful and destructive rhythm, augmented by a mad guitar line. Then as they build up and climax, there's a soft break, where piano and acoustic guitar support a frail vocal melody of simply disastrous lyrics.

Deadsoul Tribe are no exception. It's music by the book - adhering closely to the formula. I feel as though I'm watching a low-to-no budget horror movie, and I'm guessing the end, or even what will happen in the current scene. She'll turn the corner and the murderer will be standing right there! And sure enough, as the clichéd crescendo of cellos foreshadow, she walks right into the murderer's trap! Shucks! That's pretty much all I can say about Deadsoul Tribe and their ilk. Shucks. The drummer is simply mad on that double bass, and he's even in time with the bass. Shucks. The vocal work is so absolutely exhilarating. Shucks. The guitarist is so goddamn talented! Shucks.

The truth is that I've heard this album. Even before I hit play, I'd heard this album before. Sure, all the musicians are fast, and you'll be headbanging without control, and the soft sections are oh-so-gorgeous, but for prog's sake, we've heard it all before! Many times! What's the point? If my criteria for a five-star were merely such things, then nearly every progressive metal album would be a five-star masterpiece! I desire more than fast playing and the clichéd dynamics. Where's the personality? Where's the soul? Where's the originality? Shucks.

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.

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)

Yet another band I came to discover through the massive crowds of vocalists passed through the Ayreon series.

I took particular note of Devon's voice in Ayreon's The Human Equation and eventually came to decide to check out his actual band. What is here is a lot different than what is usually described. Almost everyone that mentions this band mentions Tool. I think that's a very silly thing to do, mostly because this band is very independent from and very different to Tool. In fact, while I make no claims on the quality of Tool's music here, Deadsoul Tribe is a far more interesting, diverse, and well-produced band. A Lullaby for the Devil represents a motion towards heavier music than their previous works. We have the flute here and the tribal drums and some fantastic wailing from their frontman. Basically, we have a sort of massive progressive metal music, atmospheric in its own right--not particularly experimental or post-metal in many ways by this point however.

The album opens with Psychosphere, a fairly simplistic and straightforward song that kicks off the music with a heavy gear and some distorted vocals. Note when I say heavy here, I mean maybe like Dream Theater heavy, with deep and chunky guitars and fast double bass work. The band has no growls, has no particularly heavy vocal structures. These vocals are fairly dynamic (and yes, he does scream a wee wee bit), and they are showcased really well on the second track, Goodbye City Life. It opens with an epic sort of metal feel, something indeed reminiscent of Ayreon or Devin Townsend. After a bit of soft acoustic sounds and gentle vocals, it dives back into gear and Devon releases the inner crazy in a few upbeat screams. Towards the end, the music clears pretty dramatically, and the flute comes in and blows the rest of the song out of the water. The tune progresses from heavy metal to fun rock pretty frequently, making this a nicely progressive tune that changes but still goes somewhere. It ends on a very heavy note. Track three is Here Come the Pigs, a weaker bit with again aggressive vocals in a distortion box and with a lot more double bass.

The next track is the terribly catchy Lost in You, with a powerful chorus. It backs off several times into gentle piano portions, only to kick back into wild motion with that massive chorus. A very good track, though not as progressive as Goodbye City Life. A Stairway to Nowhere wanders on next, opening with a bit of dark ambiance. Gradually, the metal returns. The chorus is marked by interesting backing harmonies. The next song, however, is the true genius of this album. The Gossamer Strand is a showcase for some intense flute work. At the beginning and end, it's mostly just gentle flute and piano, but the central parts of the song are built around some heavy riffs to complement this flute. A guitar solo here and there add to the power, but the true beauty is in this wild whistling that might give Ian Anderson a run for his money. Any Sign at All is another catchy track like Lost in You, except it is more atmospheric and features some dark bass work. Fear starts out rather mellow, but jumps into high gear partway through in a very neat way. Further Down is a particularly heavy track and the title song closes the album much in the way that Goodbye City Life opened it.

Now, the only real problem with this album is that it all kind of blends together and tends to sound mostly the same throughout. Aside from that, fans of progressive metal or Devin Townsend style metal would probably find plenty to love here. Also, fans of high caliber flute playing might just find some tasty morsels within as well.

Beautiful Metal for the Mature Headbanger

You had to wonder, what were the kids raised on Metallica going to want for music as they grew up? Well, as a guy who was completely immersed in metal culture in late 80's through the mid 90's, it's interesting to see who is stepping up. Two guys my age, with roots back to at least the early 90's, are making truly beautiful music in the metal context.Devin Townsend and Devon Graves (previously called Buddy Lackey in Psychotic Waltz).

Dead Soul Tribe sounds completely different than Psychotic Waltz with the exception of Graves' flute, and his lyrical sense. His voice is more natural now, but is actually more powerful and shows better breadth. Lullaby for the Devil is my first full length DST album, but I listen to the band frequently on internet radio. From my listens to those other works, I think this album may be the band's best. Graves has developed his melodic sense, and his composition continues to improve as well.

The music seems simple at first, but there are a surprising number of progressive elements that add considerable color to the music. For instance, Goodbye City Life is a mini-epic, clocking in at about 8:25, and evolves from ominous gothic march to gentle dreamy vocal and piano passages to melodic metal to shouted rant. Any Sign At All's rhythm in 11 (3+3+3+2) seems perfectly smooth. The crown jewel of the album, The Gossamer Strand, is a gentle instrumental piece featuring Graves' accomplished flute playing over a bed that progresses from slow keys to frenetic tribal metal. The flute is obviously influenced by Ian Anderson as Graves has repeatedly noted, but I also hear a metal guitarist's scalar and shredding sensibilities as well. The result is a sound that I've heard no where else. In the download age, I think virtually every music fan should have this track in their library, prog fan or not. It's that good.

Other reviews of the classic Murder of Crows complained about lack of melodicism, static guitar grooves without solos, and frankly, a sense of boredom. All of these drawbacks are at least much improved here and in my opinion conquered. The melodies are clear (including the title track's allusion to Metallica's Wherever I May Roam verse, and A Stairway to Nowhere's heavy Porcupine Tree influence) and each song is quite distinct. The guitars sound great, modern tone, tightly played, with some tasty soloing woven in. A few songs could use a little more variation in key and feel, and certainly all of the sounds used here (with the exception of the flute) have been heard before. Influences of Tool, Pain of Salvation, and perhaps Anathema are here but not as blatant as on earlier albums.

All in all, this is an excellent album. It's what I want to hear when I listen to metal these days. Modern, but mature. Intelligent lyrics. Textured, but restrained instrumental work. Not afraid to draw on aggression but exploring a broader range of emotion. In two words, adult metal.

It only took one listen to know this was different from their past albums. Devon himself has said that the last three albums were cut from the same cloth and it was time for a change. More flute on this one along with more aggression, heaviness and distortion. Now normally for me that would be a positive change in direction but for whatever reason it doesn't translate that way when I listen to this record. I miss the old sound already. Not that this is even an average recording because it's well above that, there's just too much on here that i'm not a fan of. The cover art design concept was Devon's idea and Travis Smith illustrated it. My least favourite cover art too (haha). The band thanks THRESHOLD and SIEGES EVEN among others.

Love the way this album starts with the bass intro to "Psychosphere". Drum outbursts come and go as the guitar starts to make some noise. Vocals a minute in are distorted with spoken words to follow.There's a nice heavy undercurrent throughout. "Good Bye City Life" opens with spoken words as the sound builds to a heavy doom-like soundscape. It settles right down with piano and reserved vocals 2 minutes in. Kicks back in a minute later and the vocals that follow are getting close to the rap style. Strummed guitar as it lightens 4 minutes in. Flute follows and marching styled drums. It kicks back in late. "Here Come The Pigs" is heavy as drums pound and vocals growl. Some wailing guitar in this one. Vocal samples too. "Lost In You" features more heaviness until we get a calm before 3 1/2 minutes.

"A Stairway To Nowhere" is my favourite. The vocals before 1 1/2 minutes remind me of Steven Wilson. Heavy guitar before 2 minutes comes and goes as vocals continue.This is a very cool song. "The Gossamer Strand" opens with piano and flute. The guitar becomes prominant before 1 1/2 minutes and the tempo picks up after 2 minutes. It settles 5 minutes in. Lots of flute in this one. "Any Sign At All" opens with some deep bass lines and drums.Guitar comes and goes. Reserved vocals come in and they do get passionate. "Fear" opens with strummed guitar as vocals come in. This reminds me of PINK FLOYD. Nice guitar solo 2 minutes in as the sound gets fuller. "Further Down" is heavy with guitar playing over top. Vocals join in. "A Lullaby For The Devil" opens with piano as reserved vocals come in. It kicks in heavily around a minute then settles as contrasts continue.

This is the first DEADSOUL TRIBE album I haven't given 4 stars to. Still there's lots to like here.

After 2 disappointing albums, Deadsoul Tribe took a year inbetween releases and came back inspired and enthusiastic on their fifth (and probably last) release A Lullaby For The Devil. Instead of playing all instruments but the drums himself, Devon Graves took the entire Deadsoul Tribe live band into the studio. Fleshed out with a real bass and guitar player, the result is a more solid and versatile album, not as unfailing as a Murder Of Crows but surely a lot better then the other DST albums.

Psychosphere is an up-tempo rocker featuring the trademark tribal percussion and plain Sabbath riffing. The arrangement is slightly industrial at times, with whispered vocals providing a slightly menacing angle. The riffs and melodies offer nothing outstanding but the overall effect is ok. Goodbye City Life is a more interesting piece, very different from their usual fare. It's a bit of a hodgepodge of industrial doom metal, mixed with the balladry and folksiness from Jethro Tull and an occasional neurotic Faith No More outburst. As other reviewers have pointed out already, Moustafa has learned to control his frenzied drum attack. Instead of plastering every hole with fills and ruffles, he lets the music breathe more. A big improvement.

Here Come the Pigs is a mediocre song that brings the preceding albums to mind. Lost In You is a lot better, nothing challenging or groundbreaking, but adequately executed Benefit-era Jethro Tull with fine melodies and a passionate delivery. A Stairway To Nowhere is a slow-paced and slightly dreamy atmospheric rock song, not really original but an adept try at Porcupine Tree harmonies and more progressive riffing and chord plucking in the style of Jim Matheos of Fates Warning and OSI fame. Great song. The instrumental Gosamer Strand makes room for Devon's flute playing and some nice bluesy guitar leads.

Deadsoul Tribe is often compared to Tool, the opening bass riff of Any Sign At All supports that claim, but DST's sound is more dynamic and has the better vocals, with much more melodic sense, more power and more feeling. The classic rock ballad Fear sounds a bit out of place but is sure acceptable. Further Down is an up-tempo 3 minute metal track that brings Psychotic Waltz's last album Faded to mind. The closing title track ends this solid album with a strong epic ballad.

Dead Soul Tribe can be reassured. The devil will definitely not fall asleep before this album completes its course through smart modern metal and mid-paced musings. A big improvement over the 2 mediocre albums that preceded.

"A Lullaby For The Devil" is Deadsoul Tribe's fifth album but my first purchase of their work although I had heard the excellent "Some things you can't return" (from their second album A Murder Of Crows) on an InsideOut sampler disk.

"A Lullaby For The Devil" is very impressive covering a number of music styles but generally on the heavier side of Prog. All the tracks are excellent with the opening track Pschosphere more metal in style.

Devon Graves undertakes most of the instrumentation (guitars, bass, keyboards, flute) ably assisted by drummer Adel Moustafa. The stand out features are the quality of the lyrics, Devon Graves' voice and the use of Tull-style flute which adds an extra dimension to the instrumentation. The tracks have good arrangements with quite a bit of complexity under what seems a relatively simple structure.

An excellent addition to any prog rock music collection. 4 stars.