A MURDER OF CROWS (E)

Dead Soul Tribe releases their follow-up to their eponymous debut (2002). Featuring mastermind Devon Graves​, who was formerly Buddy Lacky and singer with Psychotic Waltz. The band plays a mixture of prog metal and atmospheric pop with tasteful arrangements of flute, occasional keyboards and acoustic guitars. As Graves states: "Keyboards were held back more and there's more guitars on A Murder Of Crows." The twelve tracks were played by Graves (guitars, keys, flutes), Adel Moustafa (drums) and Roland Ivenz (bass). The dead crow on the sleeve represents both aggressiveness and the kind of atmosphere in the songs: sometimes dark, sometimes melancholic. Although Graves' lyrics mostly catch something poetic in nature, the album is in general quite dark. A comparison to the The Garden Of Stones by Black Sabbath comes to mind. The production is crystal clear and shows that Graves, who produced both the debut and this album, also learned a lot as a producer as well. It's astonishing how he uses his voice: sometimes screaming and high-pitched, like in most metal bands, then again constantly changing, a bit like Pain Of Salvation, and in the more atmospheric pieces, softly and poetic as in singer-songwriter-music. The flutes in Black Smoke And Mirrors and parts of the melody lines remind me of Jethro Tull. The rhythm tandem plays incredibly well: Moustafa's got his drums rattling like Paul Craddick (ex-Enchant) and Ivenz supports and plays melody lines just when it is needed. Don't expect tremendously fast guitar solos: this kind of music features melodies and vocals. Because Graves uses keys, flutes and acoustic guitars, the album 's got this delicate touch of originality. Although I think highly of both Devon Graves and the band regarding their craftsmanship, this music is not really my cup of tea.