Texas powerhouse Tribal Gaze are here to bludgeon you with their sophomore album “Inveighing Brilliance”.
Formed in 2020, Tribal Gaze is one of the best kept secrets right now. Joining bands like Frozen Soul, 200 Stab Wounds & Undeath to name a view in the new wave of US death metal. But what stands Tribal Gaze apart in their whole sound & vibe. Merching the downtuned heavy sound of early Obituary & Morbid Angel with the metallic hardcore influence of Xibabla & All Out War.
The band’s first release the “Godless Voyage” EP branded the band with an already well thought out sound & helped them stand out from a genre that saw some saturation at the time. Their debut album “The Nine Choirs” was the best release of the year. Already working upon their sound to somehow make it even more brutal & punishing. Now their latest album & first since signing with Nuclear Blast might just be their most savage to date.
“Smiling From Their Chariots” the album’s opening track is pure armageddon. This two minute track feels like the perfect way to open the album. With a monolithic drum roll, straight into a catchy chugging pattern & a big old “ooohhh” from vocalist McKenna Holland. The band picks up the pace & brings the energy in the last half. This little slice shows you exactly what the band is about. Heavy fucking riffs, beast like drums & ungodly vocals.
The following track “Beyond Recognition” which was one of the first singles off the album really goes straight into one of the groups best strengths, which is Rhythms. Now when it comes to riffs & chugging patterns most bands don’t try that hard. But Tribe Gaze is always thinking about how we can make this song interesting & stand out. And that’s what this track & album does.
Due to the trident that is guitarists Quintin Stauts, Ian Kilmer & Drummer Cesar De Los Santos. All working together to write tracks that have great rhythmic interplay with the drums & guitar riffs. All different ways through the album. This track is just one of the catchiest the bands have written to date.
One of my favourite tracks on the album “To the Spoils of Faith” featuring Ross Hansen of Ingrown is one of the heaviest tracks of the year. Like “Worthless Offering” off the band’s last album this track is apocalyptic in its downtempo heavy stomp riffs. McKenna Holland saves some of his most guttural & punchy screams for this track. At the midpoint of the track the band put their foot on the gas for a moment & give you a blasting section which switches it up before going back to the heaviest bridge parts on the album & where Hansen’s guest feature fits perfectly.
The album’s title track “Inveighing Brilliance” is a great but quick instrumental track that showcases what a phenomenal drummer De Los Santos is, the dude hits seriously HARD. feedback echoes in the distance as De Los Santos just rips a tight, fast drum solo as the rest of the band jam around him as he builds upon the solo till its very peak & the band end of a dime. A nice palette cleanse before the band unleashes the last two tracks on the album.
The closing track on the album feels like Tribal Gaze not going out on a whimper but going out with a shotgun blast to the face. As soon as this track begins it doesn’t relent.
The band feel the tightest on this track & i think its with the help of modern album engineer & producer Taylor Young (The Pit) helming desk most if not all the bands material has helped the band find their most brutal sound to date. Blastbeats & tremolo riffs a plenty this track has it all. A great build at the halfway point with this great headbanging riff that just grabs you. As the track fades out you are left demolished & beaten but you couldn’t be any happier that it was done by a band heavier & better then the rest.
Tribal Gaze are their own breed. Taking influence from some of the best to do it but never wearing it too on their sleeve. Carving out their own sound & on each release getting that much more heavier, catchier & all round improving as song writers. Everything before this album i have loved to death by them & im so happy to say “Inveighing Brilliance” is the bands most defined & ferocious album so far.
Review: Joseph Mitchell
Inveighing Brilliance is out via Nuclear Blast Records on 17th October 2025
