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Buddy Lackey formerly of PSYCHOTIC WALTZ has undergone a major change by now changing his name to Devon Graves and forming DEAD SOUL TRIBE. His debut effort was sort of schizophrenic by incorporating Nu-Metal with Prog Rock and it just didn't go well in my opinion. Devon says that since he is a producer as well and multi instrumentalist, he learned a lot from his debut and only tried to mature on the next release.
Well, here it is and it's much better. While his music is poetic to him and writes lyrics with a message, this is some dark stuff and I like it. While you may not get the type of progression of DREAM THEATER, U.K., and such, this is Progressive Melodic Rock that can pack a punch when you least expect it. "Feed Part II: The Awakening" is haunting and beautiful with the hard hitting vocals and well crafted music. There is even flute playing by Devon and it kind of brings the moment to a relaxing mode, but don't get to used to it for Devon and crew come back darker and harder with crushing riffs.
The opening riffs on "In A Garden..." sound like BLACK SABBATH's "Black Sabbath" with a progressive twist. Very moody and dark. There are a lot of twists to this album which make it unpredictable and very enjoyable to listen to. It's able to stand out from a lot of other bands playing Prog Rock and Metal right now. This is nothing short of a breath of fresh air.
I was sooooo ready to write this band off based on that debut, but Devon worked hard and made a CD that has redeemed himself quite quickly. I just hope that the debut was nothing more than an experiment and he will continue the path he is on right now. (Online September 30, 2003)
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