A Tribal Metamorphosis

Pentaphobe | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (March 1, 2005)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Mondo Melodia
• ASIN: B0007CYET4
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (32 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #142,357 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

37 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Open your mind and you'll be surprised you may like this, February 21, 2006

By 

V. Dalby "Inara" (Las Vegas, NV) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Tribal Metamorphosis (Audio CD)

From what I understand, Pentaphobe is a collaboration between Rachel Brice and some industrial musician friends of hers. If you don't know Rachel Brice, or you've never seen her dance this album will be lost on you.These songs were designed to accompany her tribal bellydance performances in an industrial/goth nightclub. The songs are dark and haunting, edgy, and earthy all at once. To that end, this album is nothing short of genius. Most people will never give it a second listen, but if you've seen Rachel and her troupe The Indigo dance, you may begin to experience the music differently. Those who claim you cannot dance to this do not see the potential in the music. When I first listened to the CD I responded the same way most people do...I didn't really connect with it. It seemed very harsh, dark, and noisy. But now it's one of my very favorite cd's. If you are looking for bellydance music and you aren't familiar with American Tribal, Goth Tribal, Urban Tribal, The Indigo, and Rachel Brice, you probably won't like it. Get Rachel Brice's DVD or see her performances on Bellydance Superstars, and then try to listen to the album. YOu may be surprised at how much it grows on you!

24 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars NOT traditional tribal music - great for fusion!, April 14, 2005

By 

Megan "belly dancing mom of twins" (Chesapeake, VA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Tribal Metamorphosis (Audio CD)

This is not music for ATS, pure tribal (FCBD style) belly dance. Yes that is Rachel Brice on the cover, which should tell you what kind of fusion this is good for (Go watch Rachel dance at www.rachelbrice.com if you haven't seen her yet. Her style is very different than Fat Chance). Pentaphobe composed this music for her. It's good music, interesting and danceable but it is NOT traditional tribal music. It's very modern, club-style music. You can dance to this, but if you're looking for traditional tribal, there are better recordings out there.

Liner note is helpful for describing their intentions with this recording: "Pentaphobe was asked to create music that would complement Rachel Brice's fusion style, and at the same time be appropriate for a performance in an industrial nightclub. A Tribal Metamorphosis is a collection of tunes inspired by traditional Middle Eastern rhythms, and the karass that is the American Tribal Belly Dance community."

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Mid-east goes Industrial, August 17, 2006

By 

Jon Wood "Designer" (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Tribal Metamorphosis (Audio CD)

The problem with most of the reviews for this album is that the average listener wanted it to be something it's not.
It is Bellydance music, it is Gothic Tribal music, but it's not what you would expect.

Somebody said it's not like Rai. Ofcourse not - Rai is, in effect, algerian blues. This is industrial electronica.
The first thing one must do when listening to Sa'Iyr is open their mind and push out any preconcieved notions you might have about what makes something Bellydance music.

In my opinion, this album is genius. I personally find it incredibly enjoyable, and do not dislike any one of the tracks.
It's less like 'Mid-eastern Bellydance' and more like 'Mid-eastern Industrial Goth'

The styling is most similar to that of Squarepusher, Autochre, Aphex Twin, and the like. If you like urban or industrial music, techno, electronica, and have an interest in middle eastern culture, dance or music, you probably will find your home in this album.