After years of silence, in 2002 Tribe After Tribe reappeared once again with Enchanted Entrance. Influenced by Robbi's unpleasant experiences with years of poor label support and touring difficulties, the album also marks the second turning point in the band's sound. Gone are the soaring upbeat flavors of the previous albums, in its place are dark experiments with mystic rhythms, aggressive guitars, rock drums, ambient tones, industrial noise, trance chants and deep groove.
Finally in 2008, in the presence of weapons of mass destruction comes the new album: M.O.A.B., a vital and important piece of music that is truly a new testament for the troubled times of the 21st Century. Tribe after Tribe fiercely and fearlessly take on an ancient tale that, for all its inherent difficulty and divisiveness, must be subjected to the crucible of reason for critical examination before it can be rewritten with the balm of tolerance and love. In doing so, M.O.A.B. brilliantly captures both the absurdities and dangers of the diluted belief systems that have been gradually warped and twisted by all-too-human misdeeds across two millennia .. to the point where they're now on the verge of tearing our world apart.
Continuing the work they began in South Africa more than two decades ago and continuing where Enchanted Entrance left off, M.O.A.B. fuses unique world rock elements with ringleader Robbi Robb's incisive, intelligent lyrical dreamscapes, exposing the evil forces of Apartheid and its ideological brethren... forces that remain with us today, perhaps more so than ever before. The message in the music is not, however, a political one, but rather a simple signpost pointing to the common ground of the human heart which we all share; a place where all gunfire is, in essence, 'friendly fire'.
Take the title of the album itself, for example. M.O.A.B. serves a multitude of meanings, ranging from the deserts of Moab where Moses and the Israelites wandered for 40 years, committing their own form of genocide on the unsuspecting men, women and children whose only 'mistake' was worshipping a matriarchal, goddess-inspired culture, to Saddam Hussein's call for the Mother Of All Battles, to the American response with the Mother Of All Bombs, a 'Massive Ordnance Airblast Bomb'. Based in part upon the writings of the biblical book of Deuteronomy, the new songs are sure to delight the old-time faithful fans while also bringing new converts into the tribal fold.
Featuring the psychedelic guitar swirl and pulsating pagan rhythms that have become Tribe trademarks on such propulsive numbers as "Supreme One", "Burning Bush", "Truth and Reconciliation" and "Holy City Warrior", M.O.A.B. definitely brings enough rock to please even the most virulently head-banging of fans. But there are also quieter, more pastoral passages that recall nothing so much as the work done by Peter Gabriel on his Passion album, the soundtrack to "The Last Temptation of Christ"; in fact, album-ending track "World Drum" sounds like it could be an outtake from those stellar sessions. As the M.O.A.B. liner notes say, "If we put down the books and courageously journey inside and listen very carefully to our own hearts we will hear the beat of the universal heart, the beat of the World Drum. In the stillness of this inner space we comprehend the desire of every living thing. All of life wants the same thing: every plant, every animal, every Jew, Christian, Muslim, every being in every nation wants safety."
Or, as Robbi Robb, who has been hailed as "one of the greatest mystics ever to appear in the history of rock," remarks, "Put down the guns, put down the books, put away the pointing fingers of blame .. come away from the temples and into the fields, and there let us work together to eradicate disease and poverty from the face of the Earth. This is the 'Mother Of All Battles'."
Current members:
Robbi Robb : Vocals, Guitar
Eric Ryan : Guitar
Craig Else : Guitar
Mike Hansen : Drums, Percussions
Joey Vera : Bass
Past members
Bruce Williams : Keyboard
Fuzzy Marcus : Bass
Robby Whitelaw : Bass
Doug Pinnick : Bass
Jeff Ament : Bass
Reynold Carlson : Drums
Chris Frazier : Drums
Barry Schneider : Drums
http://www.robbirobb.com/bands/tribeaftertribe/index.php
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/tribeaftertribe
The Spell
Tribe After Tribe Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And in your blood i roam
My shadow seeks a modest death
When all your life is gone
See your world is turning round
It's a sacrifice to me
As the fire's flames turn round
It is all that you can see
When the lights fades from your eyes
Then my darkness fills your skies
As close as breath to you am i
It's you and i
Whe the wind blows you will know
Then to a hollow place we go
No you're not alone
You're not alone
A thousand fires adore
Evil winds with no heart
How those fires they glow
Cold and lonely they go
All the teachers turn their heads
Poisoned reason spoil their eggs
Fallen angel feel your dead
In the house of holies
Who cast that spell upon me
In a sense you're innocent
In a sense you're innocent
In a sense you're not to blame
In a sense you're to shame
The lyrics of Tribe After Tribe's song, The Spell, highlight the idea of a cruel atmosphere that entombs a person. The lyrics suggest that this atmosphere is always present and lurking, even in the blood of those who struggle against it. The shadow seeks a modest death, and when life is gone, the world that we know is sacrificed. The song talks about the darkness that fills our skies when the light fades from our eyes, and how the singer is as close to us as breath. The darkness and emptiness of the hollow place await us when the wind begins to blow, and we are not alone in the darkness that awaits us.
The song also suggests that there are a thousand fires that adore, with evil winds that have no heart. These fires glow in the cold and lonely existence that is sometimes a person's existence. The song talks about how the teachers turn their heads and the poison of their reasoning spoils their eggs. In the end, the fallen angel feels dead, in the house of holies, and the question lingers: who cast that spell upon me? The song ends on a somewhat hopeful note, pointing out that, in a sense, we are innocent, and that we should not be ashamed.
Line by Line Meaning
I am an atmosphere of cruelty
I embody a viciousness and malice that pervades the environment around me.
And in your blood I roam
My malevolence is an intrinsic part of you, coursing through your veins.
My shadow seeks a modest death
Even the darkness that follows me wishes for an end to the suffering I cause.
When all your life is gone
You will be under my influence until the very end of your existence.
See your world is turning round
The circumstances of your life are subject to my control.
It's a sacrifice to me
Your actions can be exploited to further my own ends.
As the fire's flames turn round
My influence is reflected in the flickering of the flames.
It is all that you can see
My power dominates your perception and experience of the world.
When the lights fade from your eyes
As death approaches, my influence becomes even more pronounced.
Then my darkness fills your skies
My corrupt influence pervades the world around you even as you die.
As close as breath to you am I
I am intimately connected to your life force, always present and impossible to escape.
It's you and I
You are entwined with me, even if you do not realize it.
When the wind blows you will know
The natural world itself bears the testimony to my far-ranging power.
Then to a hollow place we go
You and I are drawn inexorably towards a place of emptiness and despair.
No, you're not alone
I am always there, shaping your thoughts and feelings in subtle ways.
A thousand fires adore
My power is worshiped by multitudes, even as it destroys them.
Evil winds with no heart
The destructive forces that serve me possess no compassion or empathy.
How those fires they glow
The manifestations of my awful power are both beautiful and terrible to behold.
Cold and lonely they go
The fires of my influence are ultimately a source of alienation and isolation even for those who serve me.
All the teachers turn their heads
Even those who claim to be wise and knowledgeable are inevitably corrupted by my influence.
Poisoned reason spoil their eggs
The wellspring of rational thought is tainted by my malevolence, destroying any hope of wisdom or enlightenment.
Fallen angel feel your dead
Even angels, representatives of the divine, are subject to my power and influence.
In the house of holies
Even the sanctuaries of religion and worship are not immune to the corruption brought about by my machinations.
Who cast that spell upon me
I am the embodiment of magic and manipulation, an ever-present force that shapes the world around you.
In a sense you're innocent
You are manipulated and controlled by my influence, and cannot be held responsible for my actions.
In a sense you're innocent
You are manipulated and controlled by my influence, and cannot be held responsible for my actions.
In a sense you're not to blame
My corruption is so complete that escaping my influence is nearly impossible.
In a sense you're to shame
The fact that you are under my control is a source of shame and humiliation for you, even if you are not fully aware of it.
Contributed by Jason R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.