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Dead Soul Tribe is a progressive metal group that separates themselves from the pack in a variety of ways. How, you ask? Well here’s a hint: their name is an accurate reflection of their musical style… and no, it’s not death metal. Sporadic use of the flute, acoustic guitar, and congas lends a tribal feel to their music. Even when they’re using a standard metal lineup, the drums tend to have a style that might be described as tribal. They also sometimes incorporate the piano or synthesizer for added layers.
On a heaviness scale of 1-10, Dead Soul Tribe covers a range of roughly 2-7. I consider it quite accessible and easy to listen to because the vocalist never screams or growls; his singing simply varies from soft and mellow to loud and forceful. As an unexpected bonus, DST is one of the few metal or rock bands whose lyrics I continually listen for. They always seem to have an important meaning, whether it’s the simple (hate can only create more hate) or the more cryptic and poetic (spiders and flies, caught in a web and we’re eaten alive). Even when I’m not completely sure what he’s talking about, I usually think his choice of words is pretty cool. Another thing that sets them apart from many metal bands is that they understand the importance of silence. Someone once told me it’s the space between the notes that defines them, and this is a concept that DST clearly understands; they don’t just cram loud, fast music into your ears.
The band was formed in 2000 and they’ve been busy since, releasing five studio albums. Each has a different flavor so I’ll just break it down for you.
Dead Soul Tribe (2002): Essentially a straight metal album, but a solid one at that. It still contains the unique aspects I mentioned above. My favorite song is Coming Down, which gives a preview of their next release.
A Murder of Crows (2003): Significantly more progressive than their debut and, not coincidentally, my favorite and suggested starting point for listening. 3/4 is a common time signature, and other more exotic ones are speckled in as well. Many of the songs have intros that are roughly a minute long but the album never feels stale. The second clip comes from here.
The January Tree (2004): My second favorite album, it contains many similarities to their last release and represents a natural next step. If you liked A Murder of Crows, you’ll probably like this one as well. The third clip is from this album.
The Dead Word (2005): This is probably my least favorite of their efforts. I’m not sure if it lacks the personality of their earlier ones or if maybe their sound is just starting to get old, but I begin to bore about halfway through this one.
A Lullaby for the Devil (2007): Definitely the most diverse and experimental of their albums, however a side effect is that it lacks cohesiveness and a natural flow. Although deficient as a complete album, there’s still some good music here and I respect that they continue to evolve their sound. My favorite song is the title track (first excerpt), which initially reminded me of a song from Porcupine Tree’s In Absentia.
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