Review of Deadsoul Tribe - A Lullaby For The Devil

With a two year break and a conscious attempt to change musical directions Devon Graves has taken Deadsoul Tribe out of the safe and secure style they’d set for themselves over the past four albums. The band has now veered towards a heavier base with more jam-inspired pieces, and Devon has decided to branch out even more vocally in an attempt to evoke moods and emotions. A Lullaby For the Devil could quite possibly be the crown jewel in this band’s discography.

First off this is not a progressive album that’s going to hit the listener over the head with tons of solos, time changes, and anything else the typical progressive band may have to offer, though instrumental “The Gossamer Strand” is definitely a nod in that direction but more in a classic, Jethro Tull/King Crimson kind of way. This band is progressive in sound and not so much in structure. One can hear bits of modern Fates Warning, Psychotic Waltz (Devon’s previous band), Devin Townsend’s solo work, as well as a lot of groove based rock and roll and “classic” progressive rock.

The initial bass groove and heavy riffing that opens the album in “Psychosphere” is definitely a step outside of the band’s musical bubble. Things are given a much more taught and intense vibe, especially with Devon’s schizophrenic vocals jumping between yelling and whispering. Moods immediately change for “Good Bye City Life”, the intro sounding as if the band were channeling Devin Townsend’s muse; the lurching opening riff accented with keyboards to sound like a marching army. The song does take an odd detour for its initial verse in a soft acoustic piece and the changes only mount as the song continues where a dynamic between acoustic and marching snare drums becomes the norm before an instrumental section that relies heavily on the use of a flute.

“Here Comes the Pigs” contains the biggest musical punch on the album, pummelling the listener with relentless double bass, some of the band’s heaviest riffs, as well as some rather aggressive solo work. “Any Sign at All” and “Lost In You” are two of the biggest growers, songs that most could probably find themselves skipping, but when given the chance, the songs will weave their way into the listener’s head. “Any Sign at All” accomplishes this with simple repetition along with a great build up. While “Lost in You” gets the job down with rather spatial guitar playing, lots of breaks and playing to the groove of the song, while the vocals move the song along. The band dips into 60’s psychedelic and pop music in “Fear” while “Further Down” follows the song as a complete opposite with heavy staccato riffing as well as some light lead work that lends itself to traditional heavy metal, even reminding one of Tipton/Downing playing Middle Eastern inspired licks.

Deadsoul Tribe put their time off to good use, creating an album that bests the band's previous work while opening doors for new musical progression in the future. There’s a little bit of everything for the listener to digest on A Lullaby for the Devil and while there isn’t much off the wall instrumental work, this is an album that definitely takes the ideal of progressive music to heart.

Release Details

Deadsoul Tribe

A Lullaby For The Devil

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