UMUR "The January Tree" is the 3rd full-length studio album by Austrian/US progressive metal act Deadsoul Tribe. The album was released through InsideOut Music in August 2004. While the band´s preceding album release "A Murder of Crows (2003)" was recorded by a full lineup, band leader Devon Graves opted to record "The January Tree" almost entirely by himself. He plays and sings everything except for the drums on the album, which are recorded by Adel Moustafa. So the two other members of the band are reduced to touring members. A concept Graves would also use on the next two Deadsoul Tribe albums.

The music on the album continues the predominantly vers/chorus structured progressive metal style of it´s two predecessors and doesn´t add much new to the band´s discography in the way of innovation. It´s an album were it very much feels like Deadsoul Tribe had found a music style they were comfortable with and therefore didn´t feel the need to develop upon. As a result "The January Tree" is a solid release but it´s also a very "safe" release.

Musically we´re treated to heavy distorted riffs, some acoustic sections, lead harmony melodies, rhythmic drumming, and Devon Graves distinct sounding vocals on top. The material is relatively well written, but few tracks stand out. I´d mention "The Coldest Days of Winter" and "Wings of Faith" as some of the highlights, but overall it´s more a solid release than an outstanding one.

The slightly flat impression I get when listening to "The January Tree" also has a lot to do with the way the album is produced. Considering how often Devon Graves (who acts as producer on this album) has spoken of his love for organic sounding artists like Black Sabbath, Jimi Hendrix, The Doors, and Jethro Tull, it´s odd how artificial this production sounds. The drums are clicky and flat sounding, and the rest of the instruments and the vocals has a digital tone to them, which isn´t very suiting.

So upon conclusion "The January Tree" is an album which leaves me a bit biased, because objectively it´s a solid release featuring a professional sound production, decent songwriting, and strong musicianship, but it´s like the sum of the parts, just don´t add up to an album that´s extraordinary. Less will do though, and "The January Tree" is overall a decent release by Deadsoul Tribe and a 3 - 3.5 star (65%) rating is still warranted.

arcane-beautiful Having enjoyed their first album, but not too much, I was warned that I might not like this album as much as the second album.

And as it goes, yea I really don't like this album. I won't lie, these guys aren't really my thing. But, haven't said that these guys aren't my thing, their second album did suprise me a good amount. But this album on the other hand didn't.

Musically the album is all over the place. Their second album at least had a consistent sound running throughout, which did play to the band's strength. On this album, the band can't decided what they are, are they a Tool rip off, a normal prog band, an experimental rock band or whatever it is they want to be. Most of the time, they are a Tool rip off. On their last album, I said they where a better version of Tool. Looks like Tool have just bettered them on this album.

Vocally, Devon at times plays it really safe, and I mean really safe. Now and then he hits some alright highs, but most of the time, even the melodies have very similar flows throughout.

Even though I did basically spew out a lot of negativity about this album, I will admit that some of the aspects of the album I did quite enjoy. The small intros which led into songs was a pretty great idea and even the album's length, being just about 40 minutes does bode well in the band's favour. Sadly the material just isn't that strong.

The album opener “Powertrip” does start the album off well. With an intro from “Fear & Loathing In Las Vegas”, the album has a rather speed metal take with some nu metal flourishes. I do like the interesting take on vocals that Devon decided to attempt.

The best song on the album suprisingly enough is one of the shorter intros “Under The Weight Of My Stone.” A rather beautiful folky acoustic song. It's funny that the song it leads into “Once” is a complete bore-fest.

One of the albums more interesting moments has to be the track “One Bullet.” An interesting arrangement with a weird sounding electronic beat which gives off an almost Björk sounding industrial groove to the song. Some pretty interesting arrangements throughout.

The album's bonus track “...Into The Spiral Cathedral” is one of the more proggy sounding songs on the album. Nice arrangement throughout with some interesting musical passages.

In conclusion, I really didn't enjoy this album that much. Parts where good and some songs had their moments, but this album was just very confusing. One thing is, these guys sound really isn't one that completely jumps out at me, but at least their second album did keep me enjoyed. I really would say this album is for someone who likes this kind of metal and is a fan of the band. Things do get better for these guys, so this album hasn't completely ruined this band's image.

4.8/10

arcane-beautiful Devon Graves. One of Metal's most underrated talents.

For those who don't know him, he was the front man of Psychotic Waltz, a progressive metal band from the 90's, who kind of developed a sight cult following ever since their inception. Now during their hiatus, Devon decided to form this new band, and the rest is history.

Now, musically speaking, this band is very different to the sounds that Psychotic Waltz where making. The best way to describe this band is that they are basically a better version of Tool. What! Better than Tool!

Yea, I'm really not the biggest fan of Tool if I'm being honest, and in all fairness, I'm not the biggest fan of this band either. But if you have to make me choose, I would choose these guys, mainly because of Devon Graves.

In Psychotic Waltz, Devon's vocals where absolutely insane. I mean it, he could hit notes that even opera singers couldn't attempt. But with this project, he has toned his voice down a little bit. On this album he does play it safe with his vocals usually, but throughout the album he does hit some pretty impressive vocal moments.

This album is pretty much a Devon Graves solo album, mainly because he plays all the instruments on the album except for drums (even though he did have a current touring band). The production on the album also isn't exactly the best. I can hear most of the instruments, which pretty much what you expect, but Devon's vocals I feel are quite low in the mix, which really takes away the main focus of the band, which is his amazing singing voice.

Another criticism would be in some of the song arrangements. Because of the similarity in sound between these guys and Tool, some Tool-esque moments impact the songs a lot, which is quite noticeable at times. These include long hypnotic intros usually with bass usually being the main instrument and sometimes vocal melodies that tend to experiment a lot rather than stay grounded and simple. Some of the phrasing of the vocals sometimes are very similar to Maynard Keenan's style of singing.

The use of flutes in the album also helps a bit, giving some tracks a Jethro Tull vibe. Oddly enough the mixture of flutes does work very well.

I'm not sure if this album is a concept album, but there seems to be some sort of theme running throughout the album. The songs are split into chapters, which usually means something relatable, but other than that I can't really place together any story. Just a hunch though.

The album's intro, the two parter “Feed” is a briliant intro to the album. Reaching near the 8 minute mark, it experiments with arrangements slightly, which makes it one of the more enjoyable tracks.

My favourite song on the album would have to be “Some Things You Can't Return.” A brilliant build throughout the song and something a bit different compared to the rest of the album.

One of the albums longest compositions, “Crows On The Wire” is another stand out moment on the album. With brilliant build ups throughout, it does show some pretty impressive songwriting skills.

One of the best songs on the album is in fact the bonus track “Time.” A very different song compared to the rest of the album, mainly because it has a very poppy sound to it. I can kind of see why the band left it off the album, but I am glad I got to hear it.

In conclusion, I was slightly surprised with this album. At times the band's sound does drape through, but at times the songwriting can change slightly. In all fairness, these guys really aren't 100% my thing, but this album ain't too bad and has some pretty good songs on it. Some people although would really get into this album I bet, so I would recommend it.

6.8/10

Sinkadotentree This is my favourite DEADSOUL TRIBE album and it's amazing how much improved this is over the debut. There's no weak tracks and things are more aggressive here, but mainly everything has improved including the compositions. I have to mention the song "I'm Not Waving" because if he's not waving what is he doing ? Well the lyrics paint a picture of a person who is at the end of their rope and yet no one sees it. So the line "I'm not waving to you i'm drowning" is a creative way of saying the same thing. Great pictures as usual from Travis Smith in the liner notes, in particular the massive crow sitting on the top of that big house. I must admit i'm somewhat fascinated by crows after watching a documentary on them many years ago. I appreciate how smart they are and the fact that when they get a mate they stay with that mate for life. I could go on and on but this is a music site(haha). Anyway just a killer record from Devon and the boys.

Sinkadotentree An excellent debut from DEADSOUL TRIBE although i have to say their next three albums are much better in my opinion. There seems to be less of those dark and atmospheric moments on this one compared to the albums that would follow. I like the samples they use early on on the first two tracks, especially on "Powertrip" where we get a clip from "Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas". Funny. Travis Smith did the artwork which is great as per usual along with the pictures in the liner notes. The second half of the album is where they start to lose me somewhat with tracks like "Under The Weight Of My Stone", the JETHRO TULL-like "Empty" and "Cry For Tomorrow". Still a good record and it's always good to hear a band's beginnings.