Slave Zero Reviews

The Metal Forge

http://www.themetalforge.com/modules.php?name=Reviews&rop=showcontent&id=837

Whilst the name will be new to most outside of Ireland, Slave Zero has been around for a few years with their bio proclaiming them as “Ireland’s hardest working unsigned metal act”. That may or may not be true – I don’t know. Since their inception, the quintet of vocalist Graeme V. Flynn, guitarist/backing vocalist Eddie O’Malley and guitarist John Roche, bassist/guttural vocalist Andy Coade and drummer Bob Ryna have released their debut three tracker Once Was Human (in 2001) and their first full length titled The Defiant Stand (in 2002). It’s been four years since their last release but that has been rectified with their latest EP, The Pain Remits.

After only a few seconds, the gut wrenching scream that overlays a blast of drumming signals Slave Zero’s intentions with the opening title track of this EP, titled The Pain Remits. Early on, the track delivers a brutal, almost Konkhra like death metal sounding aural assault. But any preconceived ideas of what is to come at this point are shot down when Flynn’s mid-range vocals kick in sounding like they’d suit a hardcore band more so than Slave Zero’s approach to death metal. I Fear For You showcases O’Malley’s Mitch Harris (Napalm Death) like banshee screams coming to the forefront along side Flynn before taking more of a back seat in the somewhat complex and ever changing Soul Of Ruin which at times, shows off various Slipknot and Machine Head like influences.

Relief drops the tempo a little but on the whole, fails to offer anything substantial right up until the whole passage of lead work towards the end that is just so easy on the ears and down right enjoyable to listen to. The EP is rounded out with the diverse modern death metal influenced Faceless the brings in some subtle keyboards just after the midway point that shifts the song into a decidedly melodic and less in your face twist, before firing up for the final throw of the dice and finishing with a solid amount of strength.

If I had to fault Slave Zero and this release, then I’m going to pick on Flynn’s vocals. His style just doesn’t have the scowling aggression that it needs when up against not only the death metal inspired music behind it but also the extreme, guttural sounds of O’Malley and Coade. Musically, Slave Zero is well worth a listen but for them to further their cause and appeal, they’d be better served utilising more of the growling and screaming vocals throughout and less of the other.