Souls At Zero - s/t (1993)

These guys formed from the debris of Wrathchild America and could well be considered nu-metal before nu-metal! That's not to say that SAZ are rubbish, far from it, this is bruising choppy metal that blends the aggression of Pantera with the occasional heavy groove of say the more obscure Jesus Christ. 1993 was a bad, bad time for metal, and many metal musicians of the '80s attempted to move into the new era with a more cleaner albeit groovier yet still heavy sound - Souls At Zero have to be commended for such a record, an album that boasts some severe chugging and muscular vocals courtesy of Brad Givens. 'Never' is a belter of a track whilst 'Frustration' has a Pantera feel. Pantera is certainly the band I'd compare SAZ to most,just a shame that onyl a clutch of albums down the line they disbanded, but hopefully with metal coming back there's still chance yet for a return. I can play this record and enjoy it but as this was a year that pretty much slammed the final nail into metal's coffin, I see no reason to go back to it as there seems to be a lack of emotion, leaving me cold and searching for deeper, darker sounds. 6/10