As you can see, I was kind of having trouble picking a genre for the group, as they're somewhat difficult to place. Think...Tool meets Jethro Tull. Dead Soul Tribe is basically the brainchild of Multi-instrumentalist Devon Graves, formerly of the group "Psychotic Waltz." For the album writing, Devon basically did EVERYTHING except for the drums, which were handled by Adel Moustafa, who Devon picked up for his first self titled album at the age of 19. The guy seems to be somewhat of a natural prodigy...when Graves picked him up for 2002's self-titled release, he hadn't been playing for more than a year!
The first things that stick out are the drums and vocals. The drummer has a rather odd style on some of the songs, and some of the most unique tones I've ever heard. Lead singer, Devon Graves, is absolutely awesome; I actually found out about DST after hearing Devon on the new Ayreon album, "The Human Equation." (Notice a pattern here with my CD Reviews? :lol: ) He has an impressive range...sounds like a tenor, but his low end timbre is incredibly strong...probably the best example of this being the song, "Garden Made of Stone." When he gets really down there in his almost hushed, whispered voice, he sounds ****ing awesome. His most obvious influence is Tull's Ian Anderson - on some tracks, he sounds almost exactly like Anderson! He even plays the flute on a few tracks, in classic Tull fashion. But don't think he's by any means an Anderson rip-off; he has an incredibly unique voice.
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Originally Posted by From DST's home page
Devon Grave's lyrics always capture something poetic in nature. If it's true that crows are carrying the souls of dead people into the beyond, states Devon, then what happens with the souls of those people with whom the crows didn't manage to get there? An interesting question and his inspiration for Dead Soul Tribe's latest album's title A Murder Of Crows. 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.
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1. Feed Part I: Stone by Stone
The album's ferocious 6/8 opener is a good introduction to one aspect of the band's sound. The riffs are heavy but exotic, kinda remniscent of Tool. Graves really showcases his impressive control of dynamics on this album, as well as his impressive range. My only gripe is that the drum fills are a bit repetitive...based on what he does with the rest of the album, I've recognized that this was done intentionally to create a particular feel, but I think it'd sound better if he would place fills in different places and vary up the approach. Still a good song, though.
2. Feed Part II: The Awakening
The acoustic guitar intro/composition interlude and beginning of this song are TOTALLY Tull. :lol: Graves really pays homage to his roots on this track. This represents a completely different facet of DST's sound...the first time I heard it, I was really surprised. After some soulful guitar leads, the song ends with another killer riff remniscent of the first song to finish off the piece.
3. Messenger
The first time I heard this song, I thought it sounded too much like track 1, but it's since grown on me and I've noticed it's a pretty different tune. It is a somewhat similar rhythmic approach, but different melodic and structural approach. Choruses are great...the song almost has an early 90's grunge feel to it, but with DST's characteristicly odd tones and production.
4. In a Garden Made of Stone
This is one of my favorite songs on the album. Apparently, there's a lyrical connection between the "Feed" series and this song...I have't examined them thoroughly enough to make the connection, but I could see it working. Most of the song is in 7/8 time, but it's phrased in a pretty deceptive way so that one might not always realize this the first time listening. Still, Graves' low tones on the verses are ****ing incredible...SUCH a badass singer.
5. Some Things You Cannot Change
Ack! I'm out of time...I'll finish this later.
