DEATH TRIBE "Beyond Pain and Pleasure: A Desert Experiment"

DEATH TRIBE

"Beyond Pain and Pleasure: A Desert Experiment"

Mr. Anthony Kaoteon was originally born in Beirut, Lebanon, so he knows a thing or two about war, fanaticism and genocide. He has poured every ounce of the contempt he has for such things into Death Tribe, a project that seems to be death metal on the surface but which contains some hidden depths and interesting surprises.

The album hits with precision brutality and features members of Obscura and Dark Fortress. Death Tribe is not a band that picks one particular sound and gets locked into it. But if you are worried that that experimentation means you are going to hear dubstep, post-punk and other trendy dollops of the avant-garde, be at ease. The core here is savage metal that hops around a lot. "Hollow" is blasting death metal with a groove that takes no prisoners while the title track leans more to the technical and progressive. Just about every track here has one supreme knee-buckling riff that will cave your head in. For example, "Implode Explode" mixes tech-death with catchy grindcore and an unusual vocal style that is hoarse and raw yet nothing like traditional DM grumbling.

When the record gets to "Death Blues", things REALLY begin to get wild. This tune is like pure NWOBHM/trad metal boosted to extremity, including clean vocals and a ball-breaking falsetto right out of any early 80's speed metal band. It is such a contrast to what has gone before that you may not be able to hang on to the shift , but I thought it was pretty daring. From this point on, stylistic experimentation becomes the norm. "Narcissist Bastard Nation" delivers something like grooving angry thrash while "Nuclear Hate" has a slamming hardcore feel and " Face The Facts: is like Pantera gone death metal. I can't say it was 100% effective but it kept me on my toes. The sound of the album is clear and professional at all times.

This is an indy release that should not fall between the cracks. If Death Tribe ever plays live, I suspect they would tear the roof off. Labels like Relapse and Season of Mist should investigate.

DEATH TRIBE