Slave Zero Reviews

Monosyllabic Music

http://www.monosyllabic-music.co.uk/slavezero_cdreview.htm

'The Pain Remits' is a strange listen; heavy, yes; groovy, indeed; but upon listening to the CD in it's entirety you get the feeling that something is sticking out. It becomes apparent that there are numerous genres within Slave Zero's sound. The basis of the CD is predominantly on the extreme side of things; akin to the grind and death, but also taking on a strong Hatebreed style of hardcore, although is this far removed from the punk end of hardcore – more breakdown orientated.

There are various lead parts in the CD as well; airy solos with uplifting melodies. Jamie Jasta-esque gulders are the main vocal part, often accompanied by 'black' screams and gutturals as backing. My point is that this all makes for a pretty confusing listen. There are clearly a lot of influences taking hold in this band, and I can't decide whether it's actually working for them. The almost constant changes from genre to genre can be a little disorientating; and leaves you with a sense that you simply don't know what you're getting.

This isn't always a bad thing though; experimentation is that basis upon which 'alternative' bands should operate. The CD does have a certain appeal to it, and is rather infectious after the third or fourth spin; I often found myself rhythmically nodding along without noticing. 'The Pain Remits' is what can best be described as an eclectic metal mix; in short- an extreme band with hardcore sensibilities. It's a gutsy effort and lesser bands could have easily been hung, drawn and quartered for even attempting such an ensemble. Whereas extreme bands and their ilk tend to focus on death and often mutilation as there main content and reference; Slave Zero's content leans more towards personal anguish and/or unrest. Lines such as 'Sleepless nights and fucked up mornings, is this how I live my life?'; 'your lies – they came to an end' and 'You can't destroy my fucking soul', all point to the roots of more recent hardcore releases (Hatebreed / Biohazard) and are clearly of a more personal nature.

The overall production is pretty decent as well; (recorded at J.A.M studios) the material gets the necessary punch that this kind of release needs. The guitars have that chunky hit that's perfect for the sound, while at the same time ring pretty clear for the clean parts on 'Faceless'; and although sparsely used, the keyboard blends in well on the final track. The CD's stand-out tracks are definitely the opening two; 'The Pain Remits' and 'I Fear For You', both delivering a solid, and more unified impact than the remainder of the CD. The last track, 'Faceless' suffers from its length (6:51) more than anything and sounds a bit like two songs moulded into one.

Upon conclusion; perhaps not a my cup of tea in the end, but this material would definitely hold its own on a live setting; plenty of energy and above all, passion have been put into this release. It appears that the jury's still out on 'The Pain Remits', hopefully a live demonstration of the matter will help me make up my mind.

Chris Boyle