Deadsoul Tribe

Album review

Dead Soul Tribe is the newest project of Psychotic Waltz vocalist Buddy Lackey, working under the name of Devon Graves. He began this project to be able to do different types of music. He also manages to perform different functions within this group, playing most of the instruments himself. The result is an album that bears a lot of similarities to Godsmack's debut release. Indeed, some of the music here is in much the same vein as that phenomenal album, but the similarities don't stop there. First, there is a lot of usage of soundbites from various sources, mostly films. Also, that first album by Godsmack really showed a lot of musical versatility that is not overly common in the hard rock/metal genre. This release shows even more of that while still maintaining a consistent texture throughout. In fact, the sounds touched on by this disc include the aforementioned Godsmack, newer Judas Priest, bluesy rock, atmospheric weirdness, and ballads. Add into that one cut that showcases a guitar sound right out of vintage Judas Priest (a sound that has seldom been duplicated) and an off-kilter sensibility that leans toward progressive rock, and you find a musical stew that should please all fans of hard-rocking music, especially those with an adventurous spirit. This is really one of the cooler and more innovative discs to come along in a while.

© Gary Hill /TiVo