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DEAD SOUL TRIBE ‘The Dead Word’ Inside Out (2005)
Fighting my way against the swarming mass of people crossing London Bridge this morning, I realised that this was a metaphor for the struggle we have to endure to keep our fragile music alive. Not meaning to sound melodramatic, but it does make me wonder sometimes how underground bands, such as Dead Soul Tribe, have to force their way upstream, when the general flow of popular music (trendy Metal and Rock included), is constantly threatening to wash them away? Despite the struggle and the relative anonymity of this great band, raised from the ashes of Psychotic Waltz, its leader Devon Graves has presented us with another musical masterpiece in the form of ‘The Dead Word’. And I do feel privileged and consider it an honour to be a fan of this band. You will probably think that, being a hopeless fanatic, I am incapable of writing an objective review, but I will attempt not to fall into this trap…I will just tell you what I heard.
What does ‘The Dead Word’ have to offer the not-so-average music fan? Well, if you have been following this band’s career, you will instantly be able to recognise the trademark tribal drum beats, of which Mr Adel Moustafa can count himself a master, and the combination of melodic and aggressive guitars, all woven together by Devon’s hypnotic voice. The feelings of anger, pain, loss and love are still present in Dead Soul Tribe’s music, but ‘The Dead Word’ is definitely a more technically complex and challenging album than anything DST have produced to date.
The album starts with an enigmatic introduction, which presumably is made clear if one is in possession of the lyrics. Possibly, it sets the scene for the whole album, but I am not certain that this is a ‘concept’ as such. That said, of course, the album title does require some explanation and I can’t wait to get hold of the booklet to be enlightened in this respect, although I don’t think Devon gives these things away readily…
‘A Flight On An Angel’s Wing’, ‘To My Beloved’ and ‘A Fistful Of Bended Nails’ are all typical DST tracks with mesmerizing, spellbinding melodies. For the first time, Dead Soul Tribe start experimenting with some 80’s rock sounds – notably on ‘Some Sane Advice’, which could (possibly!) have been a Bon Jovi ballad. ‘Someday’ is a short vocals-based track, which reminded me of some early Queen, and the flute rears its lovely head throughout the album, albeit somewhat inconspicuously.
Devon wrote all the lyrics and music (with the exception of ‘The Long Ride Home’, which he co-wrote with Adel), as well as recording, producing and mixing the album. He has excelled in all of the above roles and his genius is further demonstrated by the fact that ‘The Dead Word’ took but a month to complete. The music itself must have been fully formed in Devon’s head at the start of the recording, but I would not be surprised if someone told me it had taken 4 months – the end result is of such a high standard.
If you are a Dead Soul Tribe fan, you will not need persuading to buy this album. If you have never listened to this band before, do yourself a favour and become one of the privileged few.
****½
Review by Emily Dgebuadze
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