The January Tree

Product Description
January Tree marks the third release of Dead Soul Tribe, headed by ex-Psychotic Waltz singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, Devon Graves. "Everything I write has a message, an approach to poetry," says Graves. "It’s the major function of poetry not to provide answers, but to raise questions - to be thought provoking and to create space for individual interpretations." Mixing dark industrial with metal and progressive rock, Dead Soul Tribe carries the listener further into the abyss of longing and fear with new tracks to make your soul shudder. This release will appeal to any connoisseur of music's dark side.

The January Tree,Dead Soul Tribe,Inside Out U.S.,Heavy Metal,Neo-Prog,Pop,Progressive Metal,Rock

The January Tree

Average customer rating:

Progress is Progressing
Listening to The January Tree? Don't forget a pillow
Sleeping Giant
They just keep getting better and better...
"We're caught in a web and we're eaten alive"

The January Tree
Dead Soul Tribe
Manufacturer: Inside Out U.S.
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

General | Rock | Styles | Music

Progressive Rock | Progressive | Rock | Styles | Music

Progressive Metal | Progressive | Rock | Styles | Music

General | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music

Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

A Murder of Crows
The Dead Word
Dead Soul Tribe
Second Life Syndrome
Out of Myself

ASIN: B0002LR8LG
Release Date: 2004-09-13

Tracks:

Spiders And Flies
Sirens
The Love Of Hate
Why?
The Coldest Days Of Winter
Wings Of Faith
Toy Rockets
Waiting For The Answer
Just Like A Timepiece
Lady Of Rain

Album Description

January Tree marks the third release of Dead Soul Tribe, headed by ex-Psychotic Waltz singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, Devon Graves. "Everything I write has a message, an approach to poetry," says Graves. "It's the major function of poetry not to provide answers, but to raise questions - to be thought provoking and to create space for individual interpretations." Mixing dark industrial with metal and progressive rock, Dead Soul Tribe carries the listener further into the abyss of longing and fear with new tracks to make your soul shudder. This release will appeal to any connoisseur of music's dark side.

Customer Reviews:

Progress is Progressing.......2006-02-03

A decent percentage of the modern prog scene is cluttered with many bands that, though technically proficient and to some extent enjoyable, attempt to create a sound that stands alone but ultimately ends up sounded rather dated. Where these bands fail, Dead Soul Tribe flourishes and creates a unique sound that propels them far beyond that of bands of their ilk and puts them up on a pedestal comparable with bands such as Fates Warning. This comparison is only in talent and respect, not in sound, though some of the quieter passages do bring back memories of `Parallels', the sound of `The January Tree' is something of its own, something like an amalgam of King Crimson, a bit of Tool type breakdowns, `Bridge of Sighs' era Robin Trower type riffs, some of the more rock oriented moments of Stabbing Westward, even a dose of mathcore for good measure. This rather unique sounds aided by supreme musicianship makes for one of the best prog albums of the new millennium, even giving last year's phenomenal O.S.I. release a run for its money. Perhaps the strongest part of 'The January Tree' is its strong writing? Crafting powerful and emotional tracks that have remained a constant in my stereo since its release. Along with Riverside and Canvas Solaris, Dead Soul Tribe are the leaders of the modern progressive movement and have crafted an album that will eventually become the benchmark for their specific genre.

9 / 10

Listening to The January Tree? Don't forget a pillow.......2005-11-29

Judging The January Tree from the perspective that the aim in music is to conjure an emotion, I believe this is the perfect album for those who seek to summon the boredom so vividly portrayed in Dead Soul Tribe's music.

Devon Graves has returned with a third album. Although the artist name appearing on the album cover is "Dead Soul Tribe," Graves handles all the writing, recording, and production for this effort (save the drums, played by Adel Moustafa).

This boring, derivative album shows clear Dream Theater influence. Although the album was obviously well thought out, Graves succeeds in evoking the desired image of a dull, leafless tree with his tedious formulaic songwriting. Graves aimed to get a consistent level of quality among the different tracks on his album. He was unfortunately successful in this regard.

I'd give this album a 2/5, since Graves was at least successful in evoking some image in his music.

Sleeping Giant.......2005-11-16

After enjoying the hauntingly powerful "A Murder Of Crows", I was eager to hear this album, and was definitely not disappointed. While the general vibes and atmospheres created are similar to those in DST's previous releases, `"The January Tree" is arguably their most consistent effort.

Graves' formula is simple: take Adel Moustafa, let him strut his talent on the drum kit, write brooding and dark melodies with repetitive catchy guitar lines. Lace this all with powerful vocals and poetic lyrics. Simple. The difficulty Graves faces, as with a lot of other artists who write all of the music by themselves, is the risk of repetition. But on "The January Tree" Graves is spot on, like he was in...well...his career spanning discography, including ex-band Psychotic Waltz and DST's earlier releases. He is one exceptional talent.

The music is simply top notch progressive metal. The angst-ridden pounding riffs and brutal vocals of the opener "Spiders & Flies" instantly recall the kind of emotional force typical of Tool's work. The eccentric "Sirens" is an interesting piece fusing elements of jazz guitar, commanding riffs and a wonderful echoing effect on Graves' vocals. The chorus is simply killer too. "Love of Hate" is another great example of Graves using the basics to tremendous effects, containing only two repeated sections, the song is just straight forward...no messing metal. Again Graves' niche for a superb, heartfelt chorus is present. "Why?" is possibly my favourite DST song to date, and the definitive moment on the album. Everything is just wondrous here, especially the slow burning, ultimately progressive use of crescendos to create a dark, sinister atmosphere. "Wings Of Faith" is an experimental track seeing the use of industrial styled guitar and drum sounds, with a heavy focus on vocal sampling and vocal effects. It works though, and is another high point to the album. After more equally gleaming tracks comes another lovely surprise, the ballad "Just Like A Timepiece" which is taken from Graves' solo career under his former name Buddy Lackey (Psychotic Waltz days). The vocal melodies are complemented perfectly by Graves' superb flute playing and simple, yet effective guitars. Great way to finish one of the best prog metal albums in years.

I highly recommend this to anyone who enjoys a lil bit of substance to his or hers metal, or simple admirers of good progressively styled music.

They just keep getting better and better..........2005-07-07

After A Murder of Crows, which shaved off much of the fat from their self titled debut release, Dead Soul Tribe come back and bring the fat back in - but this time make it much more organized. The industrial influences, which were basically come on A Murder of Crows are back (the song "Wings of Faith") as well as a more varied instrumental approach (The Jethro Tull style flute on "Just Like A Timepiece").

But just as much as all of that changed, much stayed the same. DST are still playing dark, constrained prog in the style of Tool. Devon's voice is still amazing. He can still write amazing songs. They still have the sound of no instrument standing out but rather they work as a divine whole (a trait that is found in many bands where all the music is written by one person). And the Danny Carry style drumming is still there.

Seeing as how they have improved by a significant amount with each release despite only being a year apart from each other, I am eagerly awaiting Dead Soul Tribes next release... though it is hard to imagine them improving on The January Tree. Highly recommended for fans of Tool.

"We're caught in a web and we're eaten alive".......2004-12-01

4.5 stars. While I still think "A Murder Of Crows" is Deadsoul Tribe's benchmark album, if there was ever a band in which I would recommend newcomers buy two albums simultaneously it would be the aforementioned release and "The January Tree". "A Murder of Crows" doesn't have the punchy production value of "The January Tree" but it does have a more organic approach to the songwriting using piano, flute, acoustic instruments much more often than the hard-driving guitar attack of the follow-up album. "The January Tree" also incorporates more industrial stylings and keyboard effects than before; and while I prefer a more organic sound the improved production sound on "The January Tree" is a major plus that very nearly levels the playing field between the two recordings. All in all, both albums are worth buying for different reasons. Regardless of the differences, both albums hold great amounts of excellent music.