THE DEAD WORD

Already the 4th album from Dead Soul Tribe, and what a beautiful album it is. From the first spin it grabbed my attention and it doesn't let me go. I'm a big fan of them and they deliver the goods on this album. They have a very recognizable style, which is immediately evident on the second track, A Flight On An Angels Wings. I'm talking about the drumming of Adel, the great guitar and bassriffs and of course the godly voice of Devon Graves ( ex - Pschycotic Waltz vocalist ). What a great track. It's thrusting you forwards, great power! One of my favourite tracks on the album is the mellow "Some Sane Advice", which has a great acoustic guitar and some great singing from Devon. This ablums may take a few spins to get used to, but it's worth it.

Recommended! 4, 4 stars :)

Greetings, Tom

I was surprised to find this band on a prog related site. I just think it's rock, or lets say a little bit of heavy metal. Don't get me wrong, it is a master piece. It is one of those cd's you put on and on and well just one more time. The groove is very nice, the tempo overall is good, but still in my opinion it has nothing to do with the prog scene. The multiple vocals are reminding me a little bit as a Yes clone. If you like rock, then this is a good one. If you think prog, then take a while to listen to it before you buy it.

This is my first foray into the Dead Soul Tribe and I can quite honestly say I like what I hear. Whether you call it prog-metal or art metal, the sound is relatively unique and thankfully different than the usual mainstream hard rock / metal music these days. Devon Graves is definitely a gifted vocalist able to emote warmth and subtlety one moment and roar with power the next moment. At times, he reminds me a lot of Maynard James Keenan from Tool, especially on the second track. I really like the drumming by Adel Moustafa who isn't content with just playing the same, basic beats throughout each song. He adds a great deal of different styles and fills to keep the percussion interesting and varied while at the same time adding a great deal of texture to each composition.

I have only one complaint about this recording, and that has to do with the production and mixing. One aspect of Prog music that I really like is that it is generally produced and mixed better than mainstream music. Like a good deal of recordings these days, everyone wants to mix their albums as hot and loud as possible. Unfortunately, this usually results in clipping. As good as the production seems on this album, the mixing is so darned hot that it clips in spots. As an audiophile, I find this most annoying. The most obvious spot of clipping occurs at the 4:40 mark of Waiting in Line. While the clipping isn't nearly as bad and obvious as on Rush's album Vapor Trails or Uriah Heep's album Sea of Light, it's still annoying in that it should not have been necessary for this album to have been mixed so hot.

After hearing Ayreons Human equation I thought Devon Graves was one of the singers that stood out on that album. Recently I heard a song from the Dead word and decided to purchase the album. I wasn't dissapointed. I really like the tribal drumming, production and songwriting. I agree that not all of the songs on the album are to be labeled as progressive being verse- chorus- verse structured. However there are a lot of ideas on the album and the songs differ. Devons voice kind of reminds me sometimes of the singer Ed Kowalcyk of the rock band Live. I want to explore more by this band.

One word for this: Beautiful.

It's been some quite some time since I heard something so inspiring. This one, at least for me, was one of those albums that you listen to and feel struck with awe. The first time I played it I ended up listening to it four times in a row. Everything you need to make a superb offering is here: diversity of rhytm, the right atmospheres, great guitar work, beautiful melodies, rich textures, outstanding vocals. The feel is mostly a dark one, but done subtly and filled with beauty.

I heard about Devon Graves from Ayreon's last project (The Human Equation), and from there I sought out other works from him. He did a great job in Ayreon, but really shines through on this one. His vocals are gentle, warm at some times, and powerful and penetrating when it needs to be. Marvelous! The drumming, by Mr. Adel Moustafa, is equally impressive. Tribal grooves, well crafted rhythm sections, and plenty of soul.

Seldom do you find an album on which the songs feel so connected. They're all great songs, that fit each other perfectly. The highlights for me are "A Flight on an Angels Wing", "Don't You Ever Hurt" and "My Dying Wish", the storming "Let the Hammer Fall", and the calm "Some Sane Advice" and "The Long Ride Home".

Progressive Metal? Don't let what you've heard before in the genre fool you. No super virtuostic guitar playing, no double bass drumming, no pompous vocals. The only thing you'll find here is beautiful music.

Highly recommended to everyone. Go and get it.

Devon Graves has been one of the most active musicians around in the progressive metal field ever since the first Psychotic Waltz album. Psychotic Waltz was a highly regarded cult band thriving on the workaholic Graves. After Psychotic Waltz died just as silently as they appeared on the scene, Graves dropped his alter ego Buddy Lackey and started a new band under the moniker Dead Soul Tribe.

'The Dead Word' is already the third effort of this American/Austrian band and I must say that after their opus 'A Murder of Crows', everything went downhill. Their previous record 'The January Tree' was still pretty good, but with this new effort they really missed the opportunity to make their sound progress. Instead of progressing, Dead Soul Tribe decided to add new sounds to their music. Next to their trademark dark and brooding sound, they implemented a more bleak sound with twists of electronic music. The once great poetic lyrics have been reduced to a somewhat lighter version of his best poetic work. The album itself never seems to keep me chained to my sound system as this disc has the habbit of wandering off to musical melting pots of too many attempts at originality. The songs are not cohesive enough too make for an exciting album which you want to play over and over again.

That being said, this is still a pleasant album that will do well when you're in a mood of melancholy. For the fans of progressive music, I'd advise you to check out the second album of Dead Soul Tribe, 'A Murder of Crows'.

The most recent album released by the dark progressive metal band. This album as some interesting instrument to it, but is the album lovable? To me, no. This is the first album I've heard from Dead Soul Tribe, and though I find it to be okay, or good but not essential it's a decent introduciton into the band. Learning that this wasn't their best I quickly looked into more of them and have decided to explore more with the dark music. This album does have it's positive qualities too. A Flight on Angels Wings was quite the song and a good take into from their intro. Let the Hammer Fall was good too, and so was A Fistful of Blended Nails and The Long Journey Home. They have a complicated rhythm and melody that makes them a good listen, but if you want Dead Soul Tribe, may I suggest their January Tree. I've heard part of the album and would have to say that that is where the true Dead Soul Tribe lies within. If you found that you really like Dead Soul Tribe, this might be an additional album to look into. 3/5, good but non-essential. If your a metal head, you'll like the album. Those who are more into the softer side of music might find this album a little overwhelming. However, their bass guitars, drums, and the flute is something I really enjoyed from the band. In a way, I find them as an interesting version of Tool.

To me DEAD SOUL TRIBE is a misunderstood statement... beacuse is more grunge and groovy than metal per se, thus, is a kind of progressive-grunge from an american with a very strong flavor of europe. Said that, this record takes a lot from the previous effort (THE JANUARY TREE), that a i think is a little bit better than these one, beacuse here they pretend to "perfect" the formula instead of going outside the pack. So, THE DEAD WORD starts with a story opener, inviting the audience to sit and listen , a proper way to "say between the lines" that this kind of music is by any meanings no filler or ambient elevator type, showing a lot of groove with A FLIGHT OF..., and TO MY BELOVED, entering with a more agressive approach into DON'T YOU EVER HRT, but slows down with a near folk attempt in SOME SANE ADVICE, catching again with LET THE HAMMER FALL and WAITING IN LINE, sadly it's broken completly with a very slow and somber SOMEDAY, It's in here where you find the brighter moment of the album, with MY DARLING..., A FISTFUL..., and THE LONG RIDE HOME, a set of three solid renditions to their own style and personal evolution. Overall, the album is more groovy oriented and low than before, in here DEVON plays less with other instruments, of course until the last 3 songs; However, this band has proven that chops and show-off aren't the only way to create some alluring and complex metallic sounds. highly recommended. peace.

This is my second album from Deadsoul Tribe - it's like a retrospective because I now their newest album "A Lullaby for The Devil" (2007) first before this one. This album is not as unique as the newest one but I still joy in enjoying this album especially in its ambient heavy riffs and the Tool like music. Lyric is still one of the key attractions to this album. You can find inspiring lyric in "A Flight on an Angel's Wing".

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.

Music that's full of joys .

This album in general sounds like a Tool album. The opening track "Prelude: Time and Pressure"(1:40) creates an excellent ambient that sets the tone for the whole album with a kind like Pink Floyd style. Adel Moustafa enters his percussion and drumming work that creates tribal nuances like the music from South Africa. This remarks the entrance to "A Flight on an Angel's Wing" (4:31) which flows nicely with excellent melody and great riffs and percussion. Devon sings powerfully. "To My Beloved. "(5:56) starts nicely with walking basslines combined with howling guitar and rhythmic percussion accompanying low register notes vocal line. Bass guitar and percussion sound like the main rhythm section of the music with practically minimum riffs at the opening. The riffs only come when Devon sings high register notes in the middle of the track.

"Don't You Ever Hurt?" (4:56) brings the music into faster tempo with Floydian guitar solo and heavy riffs. I like the music that changes into different style at approx minute 3 where guitar riffs have changed into more stimulating sound followed by a break with Floydian guitar style. "Some Sane Advice" (3:57) starts nice with acoustic guitar which accompanies vocal. It reminds me to the kind of soft music of Opeth. "Let the Hammer Fall" (4:03) starts off with heavy guitar riffs followed by dynamic drumming. Well, I really love the guitar riffs. "Waiting in Line" (6:34) opens with guitar riffs followed with a heavy music and later on with a break where Devon plays his flute beautifully (hemmm .. finally he plays the flute! Something I have been waiting for from first track).

"Someday" (1:34) is a short but catchy track with piano and vocal line. It then flows to great percussion-based music that remarks the start of "My Dying Wish" (4:01). Musically, this is the most NOT metal song from this album with powerful yet simple lyrics. On the day I die / Don't pray for me / Soulstealer. In the place I lye / Set me free / Soulstealer. "A Fistful of Bended Nails" (5:25) brings the music back into normal style with bass guitar makes an opening mark followed by ambient percussion / drums work. Again, bass guitar and percussion seem like being the main rhythm section of the music. The concluding track "The Long Ride Home" (4:20) is another excellent track with heavy musical riffs. I like the bass guitar solo augmented by drums in the middle of the track and then followed wonderfully by flute work. Oh man .. this is FABULOUS!!!! Two thumbs up for the composition!

Overall, even though this album is less challenging than the last album "A Lullaby for The Devil" I still find that the composition is tight and it's an excellent addition to any prog music collection. Keep on proggin' ..!

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

The Empty Word

Deadsoul Tribe's 4th studio album picks up from where January Tree left off: Clearly a post metal sound, pretty similar to their previous 2 albums and quite different from their debut. The main element of the album is again Devon Graves' characteristic vocals, a feature that will always be the crucial factor in the bands' present and future releases. Yet again, the vocal performance on this album is unique and interesting. In addition, the variation of sounds and tempos pretty much exists, as it did on previous works.

Regarding the music, the similarities with Psychotic Waltz's latter albums - mainly in the vocal melodies and not so much in the structure - are inevitable. However, the overall music approach of the band has moved as the years went by, towards a more post/alternative sound, which is still heavy, evident in tracks like Don't you Ever Hurt and The Long Ride Home. The main obvious influence in the music and structure is Tool, where the riffs borrow several ideas from albums like Aenema and Lateralus. Let the Hammer Fall is another example of the effect that M. J. Keenan's band had on this record, which also combines elements from P. Waltz's Mosquito. Apart from the main characteristics in their music, DT have incorporated Queensryche harmonies, 70's melodies (Some Sane Advice) and an alternative metal approach in the vein of Soundgarden and Alice in Chains (To My Beloved). Dead Word mainly balances between mid and slow tempos, even when heavier tunes are introduced, while the clever use of piano and flute at selected moments is one of the positive aspects.

Despite the potential that all the above referred features bear, the ultimate result is an empty product. The ideas are well structured and executed, but the musicianship is not at the expected high levels. There are only a few really ground-shaking moments. While the album flows quite smoothly, I found myself getting bored after a few spins. I get the feeling that the songs are longer than they should have been, mainly because the ideas are not innovative enough and get repetitive or predictable. The few moments that I picked out are A Flight on an Angel's Wings, My Dying Wish and A Fistful of Bended Nails. As mentioned above, some excellent ideas are apparent but are subsequently 'lost' within the mediocrity of the compositions.

Although not a bad album, Dead Word is possibly DT's weakest release. It is representative of the band's sound but not of its real capabilities.

What I like about the DEADSOUL TRIBE is that with each new album you know what your going to get. It's going to be dark, atmospheric and at times heavy. Gatot is right when he descibes the music here as TOOL- like, it just never gets that crushingly heavy like they do. In the liner notes the band thanks among others RAGE, THRESHOLD, SIEGES EVEN, Heather Findlay and Eric Clayton from SAVIOUR MACHINE.

"Prelude : Time And Pressure" opens with the sound of a clock ticking before someone starts quoting scripture followed by a preacher and other vocal samples. "A Flight On An Angel's Wing" opens with heavy TOOL-like drumming and bass before vocals join in before a minute. The tempo shifts a few times before it ends with some power. "To My Beloved..." is dark and atmospheric as reserved vocals come in. Great sound when it kicks in at 1 1/2 minutes.The contrast continues. "Don't You Ever Hurt ?" is where they "rock out" pretty good. Some excellent guitar before 4 minutes as well. "Some Sane Advice" is beautiful early with vocals and acoustic guitar. A fuller sound before 1 1/2 minutes.The contrast continues.

"Let The Hammer Fall" has this nice heavy sound and check out the guitar / drum melody 2 1/2 minutes in ! "Waiting In Line" builds quickly then a great rhythm comes in. Flute follows as it settles down and vocals join in too. Lots of riffs coming and going. "Someday" is a short ballad of piano and reserved vocals. "My Dying Wish" has some electronica in it and a good beat. Guitar comes in after 2 minutes. Great song ! "A Fistful Of Bended Nails" opens with violin as bass then drums follow. It settles when the vocals arrive. Kicks back in and I really like the guitar 5 minutes in. "The Long Ride Home" is a powerful tune. Aggressive guitar after 2 minutes then it settles as flute and bass take over. Some good atmosphere here as well. Kicks back in after 3 minutes and we get a fantastic finale.

Another winner from Devon and the boys. I actually prefer their first three albums to this one, but it's still a great listen and worthy of 4 stars.

The albums of Dead Soul Tribe have an immediate appeal that makes them instantly likeable. It's the reason why I kept purchasing their albums, only to get really disappointed by their mediocrity after a few listens.

The Dead World offers exactly the same as the 3 previous albums and the creative standstill of the band has become a bit shameful really. Their formula kind of works when Devon Graves puts all his heart in the execution, but most of the tracks here plod along in circles without even trying to catch the listener's attention. Dead Soul Tribe must be one of the most unobtrusive bands to be called metal. A few songs like A Flight on Angels Wing and Don't You Ever Hurt are still acceptable but most of the material is of feeble song writing merit and poor in execution.