Kurt Harding 2008-05-30

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

Had it not been for the inserts inside other Inside/Out Music CDs I have purchased, I likely would never have heard of Dead Soul Tribe. But since I am always on the prowl for some new tunes, I bought one DST CD and liked it well enough to buy A Lullaby For the Devil when it was issued. The band's music has been billed as progressive rock, but the apocalyptic metal component of this CD is so strong its almost more metal than prog.
Here's what I like best: The uncompromising metal assault of Psychosphere; the ferocious Lost In You; the flute-driven attack of The Gossamer Strand; the pounding, relentless Any Sign At All, and the driving metal rush of the title cut.
Those who like their music hard and furious a la Pain of Salvation ought to love this one. If this description appeals to you, then A Lullaby For the Devil should be in your future.

todd 2008-01-05

0 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

I own their Murder Of Crows album and like it well enough, but then I bought their latest, Lullaby For The Devil, about a month ago, and felt like I was disappointed.

Well, a month later and a few listens, I think its grown on me, but I stand by my first impressions, and that is that the leader Devin Graves is trying to take the band in a new direction, rather, he's following the lead of others. The first track sounds like a Mastadon song, what with its shouted lyrics, while the second and third tracks sound like Pain Of Salvation, with their chainsaw rythm section and spoken narration over top the music. It was enough to make me take the CD out of my player and check to make sure I had the right one. Same with the last two songs, where they seem to waver back and forth between Fates Warning and Dream Theater (by way of Metallica). I liked it better when they just aped Tool ;)

The middle section of this is very killer however, as Graves whips out his flute (the musical instrument) and lays down a tastey instrumental with the flute as the lead, like a really heavy dose of Jethro Tull - very nice. In fact, I call the mid-section of this CD (tracks 4 thru 8) vintage Deadsoul Tribe. I appreciate trying to branch out, but in someone else's tree?!? I know I sound fickle cuz I was one of those who thought that The Last Word sounded too samey.

Still, I'd call it a keeper. Even with the obvious similarities twix this release and other bands, its still better than average. Neither Pain Of Salvation nor Fates Warning make albums this good anymore. And once again, that mid-section is prog-metal heaven. Just program tracks 4 thru 8 first then give the others a listen later, and give them time to sink in. This isn't a great Deadsoul album, but it is a good one. I couldn't give it more than 3 stars as I believe that while its well executed, its a tad derrivative.

Metal Head Ed 2007-12-28

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

I have a Feeling this C.D. will remain one of My Favorite Musical Experiences of My Life as the year go By!I LOVE IT THAT MUCH!!!!It is by turns achingly beautiful,with the flute pieces that are interspersed with some really Powerful Intelligent and Moving Metal!Vocals are crisp and clear....no cookie Monster nonsense here!Devon Graves,the leader of the Band is an Great,Great Musician!

Joel Israel 2007-10-01

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

I have been a huge fan of Dead Soul since their fantastic progressive rock concept album "A Muder Of Crows", and have been just as impressed with the last two albums as well, although "The Dead Word" wasn't quite as much of a must-own for fans of the genre, perhpas because of it's rushed release when compared to other Dead Soul albums(it was apparently written and recorded in just a month). Unfortunately, I feel as if the exact opposite happened here, as the latest, most carefully-written and in some ways most progressive album actually seems less powerful and emotive than previous releases from the band, and suffers from an unbalanced, muddy production that buries the guitar in the mix.

Although "Lullabye" shows Devon Graves and co. stretching out musically and experimenting even more than they have in the past, this album simply suffers from serious inconsistency (some songs like "Goodbye City Life" and "Stairway To Nowhere" are quite memorable, while others, such as "Lost In You" seem almost like filler), as well as little sense of the conceptual focus usually found in this band's output, and is hindered by sub-standard production values. A worthwhile prog-rock/metal disc with some interesting and intelligent lyrics, but not one of the must-own epics this band has been capable of in the past.....

Proggy McGee 2007-09-14

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

The first reviewer did a great job breaking down this album so I won't waste you're time with all that. I'll just say that this is my new favorite Deadsoul Tribe album. Even better than January Tree, which is saying ALOT! Buy this, you won't regret it.