Death Tribe: Beyond Pain and Pleasure, A Desert Experiment

One of the first thing’s you’ll hear on this album is the sound of someone drawing in a phlegmy breath and then spitting it all out. It’s a largely symbolic gesture, but it captures so much of this album’s overall spirit that it cannot go overlooked. This album, largely driven by the personal and creative energies of Anthony Kaoteon, reflects on the state of the world from the perspective of someone who experienced first-hand the ways political turmoil can impact human life. Normally, I would dismiss anger for its own sake because there’s nothing particularly new about angry metal. And yet, I found this album fascinating because Kaoteon is not simply lashing out but also standing firm against the forces that try to tear everything apart. In that sense, this album is very much of the current moment.

I mentioned that Death Tribe is largely driven by Anthony Kaoteon. His guitar playing and his vocals definitely capture the overall anger and defiance he’s trying to express. Joining him on this album are drummer Mattias Landes (Dark Fortress) and bassist Linus Klausenitzer (Obscura). Together, the band reaches some incredible heights, particularly on tracks like “Implode Explode,� “Neurotic Breakdown,� and “Nuclear Hate.�

Even though this album falls squarely into extreme metal, the musical influences range widely across the metal spectrum. Fans will mostly hear death metal, black metal, and thrash metal here, but there are some significant changes in style here and there that some listeners will find distracting. I thought the album was especially strong on the more brutal tracks, but some fans may enjoy the variation on a track like “Death Blues.� That track challenged me the most, mostly because I didn’t know what to do with it after being beaten down by the tracks before it. Kaoten’s vocals are also relatively clean on that track, which surprised me. I don’t mind stylistic variation but some of it is more distracting than it needed to be.

If you’re frustrated by the current state of the world and want to hear a band channel all your rage into a defiant stance against corruption and violence, this may be just what you need.

Track Listing:
1. Hollow
2. Beyond Pain and Pleasure
3. Implode Explode
4. Neurotic Breakdown
5. Psychopathetic
6. Death Blues
7. Narcissist Bastard Nation
8. Nuclear Hate
9. Face the Facts

Added: March 13th 2019
Reviewer: Carl Sederholm
Score:
Related Link: Band Facebook Page
Hits: 911
Language: english

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