Dead Soul Tribe United States

""We were somewhere around Barstol, on the edge of the desert, when the drugs began to take hold ..."

This quote from Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas kicks of a roller coaster ride of what I would call Psychedelic Metal. The whole album sounds a bit like it's predecessor - Bleeding by Psychotic Waltz (Dead Soul Tribe is the solo project of Devon Graves, who was the singer of Psychotic Waltz under the pseudonym of Buddy Lackey).

In many aspects, this is much evolved compared to Bleeding. It seems more refined, there's more happening simultaneously. Each instruments simply receives more attention and the whole album has a lot more atmosphere. All of that makes it just more progressive than Bleeding.

All in all, I'd recommend this album to all fans of Sabbath-inspired metal, and it's fairly progressive - not in terms of complexity, but in terms of feel, and sophistication.

Powertrip : This song reminds me of Led Zeppelin's Achilles Last Stand, but the Rob Zombie - like vocals and the heavy chorus make it quite unique.

Coming Down : I love that ultra-low guitar riff in the intro. This track is a perfect example of the sublime, hypnotic Dead Soul Tribe formula. Devon's vocals are much evolved compared to his PS aera, he screams less often. He concentrates on melody and phrasing instead, which is a very good thing.

The Haunted : after some sphaerical keyboard textures, a hefty guitar riff kicks in. The verse again heavily relies on Devon's voice. It really has a "haunting" quality to it, and Devon's guitar work complements it perfectly.

The Drowning Machine : This track has really cool guitar work, and some nice rhythmic extravaganzas. Although Dead Soul Tribe use few signature changes or odd signatures, the interaction between the rhythm guitars and drum/bass is very interesting.

You : One of the highlights of the album - a Dead Soul Tribe anthem. Very nice chord progressions in the chorus, and a clever guitar melody in the verse.

Under The Weight Of My Stone : Nice ballad - or rather interlude, as it's quite short. This track is mainly based on a acoustic guitar and Devon's voice, really a romantic track.

Once : This is another solid track, with the typical haunting verse/epic chorus. The intricate guitar melodies in the verse are amazing, as is the idea to finish the chorus with a break with acoustic guitar only.

One Bullet : Nice track based on a heartbeat sample. It's not a Pink Floyd rip-off though, but turns into a typical DST track like the previous ones. It's the most modern sounding track, with some Dream Theater and Queensryche similarities in the verse.

Empty : Finally, we hear Devon playing the flute ... this is one of the rare happy tracks, even if it is just a minute. One might even call it prog folk ... almost.

Cry For Tomorrow : This track is a little unusual for DST, it features a complex, fast metal riff.

Into The Spiral Cathedral : The intro riff is basically a variation of the intro riff to Powertrip. This might be the most complex track on the album, it features a piano (doubled by acoustic guitar) in the verse and even some tempo changes."