Tribal Gaze Inveighing Brilliance Review
Tribal Gaze
Inveighing Brilliance
Nuclear Blast Records
2025
When one discusses Texas and metal, it's almost commonplace nowadays to be able to list a few hundred killer bands from that region. More specifically, there are so many great death metal bands from the Lone Star State that the genre term “Texas death metal” has been a thing since the ’90s. Longview, TX bruisers Tribal Gaze have been adding to the legend that is that scene since 2020. Said legend is set to grow them to new heights with their newest long player, the ten-song Inveighing Brilliance.
Admittedly, the album title was puzzling to me. A quick search revealed that it loosely means “to write about or speak of brilliance with great hostility.” Inveighing is also a synonym for condemning or attacking something, as per the Oxford Dictionary. With that in mind, you should get the picture that this is gonna be a vehement and angry listen. I’ve been a fan of Tribal Gaze since 2022’s The Nine Choirs (released on Maggot Stomp Records), so I was excited to see them signed to Nuclear Blast. This will undoubtedly present more opportunity for them by way of shows, tours, and better worldwide distribution. The order of the day—the meat and potatoes of their sound, if you will—is methodical, devastating grooves; short bursts of speed that sometimes blast; d-beats and thrashes; downtuned, breakdown-heavy, hardcore-leaning death metal. Perhaps the best way to describe it is old school at its heart but with modern intent flowing through its veins as well. The production is crisp, with plenty of attention paid to the low- and high-end spectrum. From there, thick walls of articulate but distorted guitars sit perfectly with big, roomy, non-sampled drums, unearthly distorted bass, and midrange-to-low David Vincent-esque gutturals vocally.
One thing is for certain when listening to Inveighing Brilliance, and that is Tribal Gaze are not afraid to vary it up from track to track. However, the raison d’être is they always make room for an absolutely BRUTAL breakdown that will surely open up plenty of pits. The album seems to fly by, clocking a sparse 29:10 in its entirety. Standout cuts are “Smiling From Their Chariots,” “Beyond Recognition,” “Emptying the Nest,” “Ruling in a Land With No God,” and the closer “Lord of Blasphemy.” Discerning what I can from the lyrics, it seems Tribal Gaze also set themselves apart with lyrics that discuss “the illusion of beauty in nature and existence, and how it pertains to both Mother Nature and our wretched, human society,” so you aren't getting the typical blood, gore, and Satan stuff here. In fact, Tribal Gaze even took their very band name from the idea of unseen forces watching from deep forests. This is thinking man’s death metal, even if the music sometimes paints a simpler picture. The dichotomy works, especially with the adept and well-informed guitar leads peppered throughout the songs.
Inveighing Brilliance isn't breaking a ton of new ground, but the sheer power and economy of the songwriting on display make for one bone-crunching listen and are sure to please those who love their death old school with the ferocity of slam and hardcore. Tribal Gaze have crafted a satisfying, catchy, heavy-ass album here. If you can't find a part to bang your head into oblivion over, then steer clear. These angry, rough, and rowdy Texans are out for blood…
RIYL: Early Morbid Angel, Creeping Death, 200 Stab Wounds, Frozen Soul, Undeath
~TB